The Legend of Zelda: Light and Darkness
by Indigo44
Summary: Takes place after OoT and MM. Link and Zelda want more than just a friendship, but before either of them can tell each other Zelda is held hostage by a wizard who claims he's a friend. LinkxZelda.
1. Chapter 1: The Invisible Intruder

Author's Note: I do not own Legend of Zelda or its characters.

**The Legend of Zelda**

Light and Darkness

Part 1 The Invisible Intruder

He walked through the market totally oblivious to everything. The booming music of the bands, the shouts of playing children, the delicious smells of food carts, none of it meant a thing to him. He needed to get to the castle. His plan was now in motion.

The man was concealed in a white cloak. The cloak itself gave off a shine as if it was enchanted. The hood of the cloak hid his face in darkness. The man was about five foot eight and average weight. He was sixteen years old but that couldn't be seen through the cloak.

He walked so smoothly and quietly that no one noticed him go by. He was passing the Happy Mask shop now. Soon he would be at the Hyrule Castle gate where everything would begin and he only hoped that it went as smoothly as he had planned. Sadly this was going to be brutal. Luckily he knew what to do if it went beyond a limit.

The man halted right before the corner that revealed the castle gate and the guard forbidding passage. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "This is the way it must be," he said to himself. The man straightened out his hands and flexed them. These hands, these hands would be causing so much pain. Slowly, cautiously he kept walking.

The gate finally was in site and, as normal, the guard stood there in attention stance with a spear in hand. The man would not be swayed by this, he needed to get through. As he approached he was noticed by the guard's suspicious eyes.

"Can I help you?" he asked. He spoke slowly curious about the hooded traveler. The man was walking with his head down so the guard could not see his face. But as a response he raised his head. What the guard saw shocked him but he was trained not to show emotion and he held true to that. The hood of the man's cloak shrouded his face in shadows only revealing his mouth…and his eyes. His eyes were what made the guard slightly uneasy. Peering out of the blackness of the hood were two bright yellow eyes. But not just part of the eyes was yellow, the entire thing. They were like two small flashlights that illuminated everything and yet they shown no light upon his face.

The cloaked man made no verbal response; all he did was raise his right arm towards the guard. Before the guard could even move the man's hand started to glow white. With an effortless flick of his hand he cried, "Vokolran!" The spell had begun to blow a wind with such force that the guard was thrown against the gate. But the gate was what the cloaked man was aiming for. And it was being pushed so harshly that it was blown off of its hinges. The guard flew with it.

The other guards had heard the gigantic crash and began running towards the sound. The man began walking inside the archway where the gate once stood. He was met by two guards that had watched the whole thing.

"Now you're going to come with us, kid!" one of the guards said with anger in his voice. The man frowned at the new challenges.

"Zen!" the man cried. Instantly his hands began to glow again. This time he thrust his right arm out as if punching the air. The two guards were thrown into the air by an unknown force and crashed to the ground ten yards away. The man continued walking up the trail towards the drawbridge.

More guards were running towards him now, but he was ready. As they approached one of the guards called out an order to surround him. "Big mistake," the man thought to himself. "Byror!" he shouted. This time his hands did not glow, instead a giant ring of fire surrounded him. He then pushed the fire so it flew out far enough to engulf all of his opponents in flames. They died within moments.

He had almost reached the drawbridge but there were two guards left standing in the way. Both of them had spears in hand. They had seen him murder their fellow guards and so they didn't waste time with words. They cocked their arms and threw their spears with all of their strength. "Casadod," the man said, this time calmly. The spears halted in midair hovering about halfway from their desired landing point. The man walked passed them without a second glance and walked up the stairs towards the two weaponless soldiers. They began to charge at him but they never reached their target. "Vokolran!" he cried for the second time. Just as before the two were thrown by strong winds into the mote that separated the castle from the stairs.

With both of his hands raised and his eyes on the drawbridge he cried, "Vokolran-didico!" The spell, instead of pushing the bridge, pulled it towards him. Once it was flat he walked into the main foyer of the castle only to be met by twenty armed guards with bows, spears, or swords. He stood there waiting…waiting for them to make the first move but whatever happened this would end the same way.

Without a word of command the soldiers threw their spears, shot their arrows, and charged. The man remained calm and quickly said a single spell, "Triganlico." Time came to a stop, but only in the area around the soldiers and their weapons. The spell would only last for a minute or two so he had to move quickly. He raised his right hand and chanted, "Cha-ren-ira-des-yui-caa." For the first time that day his entire body started to glow a dark blue color that could have been black. The life forces of all of the frozen guards began separating themselves from the bodies and hovered toward him to merge with his own body. Suddenly his energy rose to a level he hadn't felt for a long time. Casting magic took energy and this was one of the few spells that gathered energy back. The lifeless forms of the guards collapsed on the floor along with their weapons as if they had never been thrown.

The man started to walk again but only went a few steps. He looked up and as if seeing it for the first time he looked at all of the people lying before him and behind him on the castle lawn. He did not feel happy about this, or sad, he knew what he had to do. "This has gone too far," he said simply to no one in particular. In an instant his entire body was glowing and he rose into the air, not as if he were flying but just hovering. He held out his hands in front of him and said, "Midart-an." A clock, or what appeared to look like a clock, was summoned into his hands. The long hand was ticking away slowly. The man was glowing even brighter now and he watched the little clock with a fixed expression.

Suddenly the clock stopped ticking and began, at the same pace, ticking backwards. With every tick that the clock made the world around started to change. The drawbridge that was pulled down was once again brought back up. The guards that had died by the fire spell once again stood back up, alive, and walked back to where they originally were. The gate and the guards protecting it moved back to where they were posted. Everything migrated to the positions they were in right before the cloaked man had arrived. Thus it would seem to anyone, even the guards, that nothing had ever happened. Except for two things; the man himself remembered everything. He was still in the foyer hovering above the hollow bodies of soldiers. The second was the bodies; they could not change back because they had nothing within them anymore. They had become fuel for the mysterious man. He cast this certain spell on them because he needed energy for the last part of his plan to work.

Slowly, he drifted back down to the ground and stood there emotionless, or at least on the outside. He was on the inside as he needed to be. This was the beginning of the second part of his plan. He wasted no time as he walked but quietly up the staircase that led to the west wing's bedrooms. He walked through the hallways not seeing any guards or servants. He was lucky. All of this _had_ gone a lot smoother than he had thought it would.

End of Part 1


	2. Chapter 2: Kidnapping

Part 2 Kidnapping

Princess Zelda was sitting in her room brushing her hair as she gazed into her mirror. "Today is the day", she promised herself. Today she would do it. Finally after all these years of knowing each other she would finally admit her feelings to Link. The truth was that she had felt this way about him since she had met him in the courtyard four years ago. His deep blue eyes, wonderful blonde hair, his sweet gentle smile, and his loyalty to the good of Hyrule. All of these things are just skin deep compared to what she felt. He was her best friend, her savior, her hero.

She would go downstairs in a few minutes to get a messenger to fetch Link and bring him to her. Zelda had to tell him personally. She couldn't do it with just a note or having another person do it like most girls she knew. She wanted to see his face when she said it. She wanted to look into his eyes and speak the words she had longed to say.

That was her plan until everything changed. Zelda put down the comb and looked at her reflection. She was satisfied with her hair, but she would have to pick something to wear. She chose a dress that resembled the one she was wearing the first day she and Link had met. It was a bigger size because she had grown so much since that day. She had just finished dressing and was looking at herself in the mirror again when she heard the door opening.

"Impa, I asked you to knock when you come in," Zelda said. She heard no response and so she turned around to see who had entered her room. Who she saw wasn't Impa, it was a man or maybe a teenager who was not much taller than she. He was wearing a white cloak. His face was hidden in the shadows of the hood but she could see two bright yellow eyes that were fixed on her. "You're not one of the servants or the guards…who are you?" She waited for an answer but none would come to her.

The man had come too far to let this chance go. He left the door open because it would be easier to get out of the room. He walked slowly to Zelda. She felt intimidated by him and backed away slightly, but he kept moving towards her. Before she could say anything he grabbed her by her wrist and spun her around so her back was against his front. Then he grabbed her around the waist and around both arms with his left hand and covered her mouth with his right hand. All of this was a one fluid motion that happened in a single second. The second part of his plan had been completed but sadly it was the easiest part. The next and last would be the most difficult.

Zelda tried to squirm out of his grasp but he held her in a tight grip. He walked out into the hallway and walked back the way he came. While he had walked down this hallway before he had saw that he had to walk past Impa's room to reach Zelda. This too might present a challenge. Just as he had predicted, Zelda was making the loudest noise she could as they walked past Impa's doorway. They were almost too far from Impa's for her to hear anything, but at the last second she came out of room peering left and right. When her eyes laid upon the man carrying Zelda in such a harsh way she cried, "Zelda!"

In another fluid movement the he released Zelda from his grasp and lightly pushed her against the wall then called, "Calizé!" A green bubble of energy surrounded Zelda which kept her bound in a small prison. He quickly turned to the charging Impa and got into a defensive stance. She was too close and moving to fast for a spell to work on her correctly. So he did the quickest thing he could; he pulled out a sword that was concealed under neither his cloak. Impa pulled out her dagger and in one loud clang the two weapons met.

The two moved there blades quickly, meeting each other in attack, defending, slashing and stabbing. However Impa tried to strike the hooded man she always missed by an inch. He was not trying very hard to hurt her, what he was trying to do was find a hole in her attacks. It wasn't long until he had found it.

Impa had tried to stab at his stomach and he easily parried with his sword, knocking her off balance. That was just what he needed. He quickly kicked the dagger out of her hand and caught it in the air. He then kicked her against the wall with Zelda. Impa had crashed into the wall with her arms above her head. Her fingers overlapped. Before he lost his opportunity he stabbed the dagger into her gloves and pushed it into the wall. His blade caught the leather of her gloved hands where they met. He had not struck skin, but it had locked her in place, pinned against the wall. Impa could only flail around trying to kick the man but he had stepped away too far.

The man sheathed his sword and went over to Zelda who was staring at her caretaker with tear filled eyes. Impa had always protected Zelda from harm and this was the first time she had seen Impa fail. Impa looked at Zelda and called out to her. But the man had dropped the barrier around Zelda and grabbed her in the same way he had before. Zelda tried to call back to her but the man's hand was covering her mouth. She was helpless. All she could do was kick, stomp, and squirm. Impa squirmed around just as much, calling out to the frightened Zelda. Before the man left Impa behind he looked back at her. To Impa's surprise his eyes were sorrowful. This didn't stop Impa from trying badly to release herself from her own dagger's grip.

The man turned around and was walking quickly down the hallway with Zelda pressed up against him. He walked through the castle again searching for one certain room. Once he had found it he couldn't take the chance of letting go of Zelda with either of his arms and so he kicked the door in disturbing the people inside.

They had entered the throne room. King Harkinian stood as they approached. The sight of his daughter being held forcefully by this man horrified him. "Zelda! Who _are_ you? I want answers right now!" said the King, not yelling but in a warning tone. The two guards started to rush over King signaled them back. "No, stop. If he got into the castle with all of my guards what makes you think you two will be any different." The two soldiers stopped in place but never took their eyes off of Zelda or the cloaked man. "Now what do you want?"

"Send a message to Link," the man said calmly, "tell him to come here, alone, quickly, with sword in hand." Harkinian stared at the man, especially his eyes.

"Very well, I will send my fastest man." The King nodded to one of the soldiers who ran out of the throne room not even looking at the man when he passed.

"Until then, we stay here, only King, the Princess, and I," the man ordered. He looked at the remaining guard who turned to the King for orders.

"Fine." Harkinian nodded at the soldier who quickly left . "Now we are alone."

"Now we are alone," repeated the man.

The last part of the plan had been successfully completed. All that was needed now was Link.

End of Part 2


	3. Chapter 3: Knight versus Wizard

Part 3 Knight versus Wizard

Link put on his green hat and sat down. What should he do? Still sitting on his bed, he was thinking that he hadn't scheduled anything. He wondered if anyone would be available for today. Maybe Saria would be free.

He stood back up and was about to leave his house but he looked to his right. There lay his sword and shield. He hadn't used those in a long time. Luckily there was no need for such tools. But then he remembered that he hadn't practiced in a while since there was nothing to practice on. Maybe he should take it for a training session after he got back from Saria's.

Link walked out to his balcony and stopped. He wondered if he _should_ go to Saria's or if he should go to Zelda's. _This could be the chance to tell her,_ he thought jokingly to himself. The truth was he did have feelings for Zelda, strong, affectionate feelings that had lingered in him for four years, but he never said anything. He knew she didn't feel that way about him. To her, he was a friend, that was all. He didn't want to ruin anything and make it awkward between the two of them. His emotions did burn a hole inside his heart though and all this time without telling her was making him ache.

He sat down on the balcony leaning against the outside wall of his house. He thought of her. Her light, delicate skin that had no flaws and shown with an aura of love. Her beautiful eyes were the color of the ocean that filled him with a feeling of safety and warmth. Her smile melted his heart and he did his best to never let it disappear. Her enlightening laugh, her angelic voice, and her desire to do what is right. Whenever he was near her he wanted to grab her and kiss her. But he knew that would never happen. All he could do was be her friend because that's all she wanted.

He made the decision to change his course for the castle. Hopefully she would have time for him.

He walked off of his balcony, down the ladder, and headed towards the opening to the meadow. But before he got as far as the next house he heard the sound of a horse. He looked up to see a pure white horse charging out of the opening where he walked. He stopped and saw that the man on the horse was a knight from the castle. The man was obviously upset about something because he was breathing hard, sweating madly, and looking as if he was about to cry. The horse slowed to a fast walk and stopped along side Link.

The knight turned to Link and said, "Sir Link, please you must gather your weapons and come with me!" The man was frantic when he said this. He could not sit still on the horse.

"Why, what's happening?" asked Link.

"Princess Zelda is being held captive by a man no one recognizes! He is in the throne room and he might be holding the King hostage! The man has asked specifically for you…you must come!" the knight replied with the same haste in his voice.

Link immediately ran back to his house, and grabbed his sword. He strapped on the sword, shield, along with his bow, quiver. Not taking an instant he ran out of his house and jumped off the balcony, completely forgetting about the ladder. He ran back towards the knight and got on the horse too.

The horse turned around and fired off through the forest. When they got through the forest and into the meadow, the knight made the horse go even faster. Along the way Link asked questions. "Who is this man? Where did he come from?"

"It is not known. He just appeared in the castle throne room holding the Princess. No one had seen him before that." The knight replied not even looking back at Link.

"Has he actually hurt any one?" Link asked.

"The main foyer was filled with bodies of other knights, it is strange because they are not harmed physically in anyway but they just won't wake up," the knight responded.

"Did he do anything else?" Link wondered.

"Not to my knowledge. We are coming up to the castle," the knight said. The horse had been passing through the market when Link asked his last question. It was obvious this knight was worried, but Link has slightly concerned about the horse which was being whipped on the sides far too much.

The guard at the gate quickly threw the entrance way open and watched them race through. The drawbridge was already down and all the guards around them watched them go by. The horse stopped abruptly in front of the stairs leading to the bridge. The knight on the horse whipped the horse hard on the side even when it wasn't moving.

"I'm sorry this horse was so slow, sir. It will be dealt with properly, I'll see to it," the knight said confidently getting off the horse. Link got off the horse too and walked up the stairs but quickly looked back at the knight. The knight raised his whip once again to hit the horse. But he never got the chance.

"Stop!" Link ordered. The knight stopped just in time. "Sir you will not touch that horse ever again, and you will be cleaning up after it for the next two weeks. Is that clear?" Link said this in a way that made the man flinch. Link could not stand seeing a helpless animal that had run so fast and then was rewarded only by a beating. Since he was a knight of Hyrule of the highest order he could give orders to almost anyone and make them do almost anything. He didn't normally use that luxury because he didn't want to be a bother but this display of animal beating was too much of violation to Link. Link turned to another guard who had heard and seen everything and said in the same ordering way, "See to it that this happens."

Link didn't waste anymore time; Zelda was in trouble and if there was going to be a fight; he would give his life for her's.

The man held Zelda in the same tight grip, but she no longer struggled. She was confident that Link would deal with this intruder and save her; he always did. That was just another reason why she was so infatuated with him.

The man turned toward the King and looked up at him. "Sorry to do this, but it's for good measure," the man said emotionlessly, "mikarulat!" at huge wall of energy rose from the floor and up to the ceiling. It was obvious what he was doing. He was forbidding the King from trying to get away.

The man lowered his mouth to Zelda's ear and whispered, "Sorry I ruined your day, I wonder if Link would have responded well to your admittance to your feelings."

When Zelda heard this she felt a flurry of emotions. She hated this man even more. How could he have known what she was planning today? She was afraid about what else he might know about her. He already knew so much; where her room was, where Impa's room was, and where the throne room was, and now this guy knew what she wanted.

"I've never met Link before but I'm sure he would be flattered to hear you speak such sweet words," the man continued, "but now what will happen? Will Link come to save you and even if he does…will he survive? You have seen my power. Do you think he can best me?" Zelda made no noise or no movement; she would not give him the satisfaction of a response. "That's what I thought too…but I guess we shall see. He shall be entering this room any minute now."

As if one cue Link came storming into the giant throne room. He was fully armed and ready to do whatever he must. When his eyes lay on the man he knew immediately that he was why he was called here; his eyes were a dead give away. But when he laid eyes on the helpless Zelda captive in his arms, Link grew angry instead of anxious. He quickly drew both his sword and shield and shouted, "Let her go!"

The cloaked man, for the first time that day, smiled. He looked at Link and didn't even flinch. This was why he was here; this was his target, his prize. "Of course," the man said and to everyone's surprise. He actually followed through too. Zelda was frozen for a moment because she had to get used to moving herself again. But when she came to her senses she did what she wanted to do for quite a while and punched the cloaked man in the stomach with all of her strength. She then ran over to Link for safety. The man doubled over slightly but straightened himself again as if nothing had happened.

Link and Zelda grabbed each other in a hug that lasted for a few seconds. He looked over at the man who had not taken his glowing eyes off of him. They stared at each other for a little while but then Link asked, "OK, now tell me who you are."

The man responded as if he were pleased Link had asked, "My name is Tomi. I have heard a great deal about you future Hero of Time." Link and Zelda's eyes widened at these words. How did he know about Link becoming Hero of Time? Did that mean he knew about the time traveling journey too?

"OK…Tomi…how do you know about the Hero of—," Link was going to finish his sentence but Tomi cut him off.

"All questions will be answered once this is over. Until then, you're mine!" Tomi said with an ominous tone. He drew his own sword from under his cloak and pointed it at Link. Link put his shield up and prepared for anything.

Link and Tomi stared at each other for many moments neither of them flinching. Their focus never left each other, always trying to read any message they could read in their eyes. But eventually as if someone had cried out "Go" the two swordsmen ran towards each other and with one enormous clang the two swords met. Link was surprised by the might of this guy, but he did not show it. Tomi on the other hand had expected no less from Link.

They began moving back and forth always pushing each other with their strength. They slashed, parried, stabbed, blocked, and pushed. But no matter how fast or powerful the two were, neither of them got close enough to do harm.

Link stabbed and Tomi easily parried the sword away and quickly brought his own weapon around crashing it down against Link's shield. Link then tried to drive his shield into Tomi's stomach. But Tomi had prepared for such an attack and grabbed the shield before it slammed into him. He then began to swing Link's arm back and forth in order to shake the shield off of his arm. With a powerful swing to the left Tomi pulled the shield away from Link and threw it a few yards away. Link was shieldless.

Instead of trying to charge at Tomi with his sword alone, he jumped a few feet back and pulled out a red stone from his pocket. Without a word, Link sheathed his sword and slammed his fist that held the Din's Fire onto the ground. Instantly a dome of fire surrounded Link and began to grow outwardly.

Tomi, without emotion, rose his hand and said, "Gaissel." When Tomi was engulfed in the scorching fire he did not move or feel a thing. Tomi saw that Link's sword was still sheathed and drove into him. Before Link could get his sword all the way out of its scabbard Tomi had come and slashed Link right across the chest. Link only grunted and jumped back even further away from Tomi.

Link's tunic was cut slightly, exposing a cut that was spilling blood freely. The cut was not deep. He got back into a defensive stance and waited.

Tomi charged again and the two were clashing once more. Link was holding his sword with two hands while Tomi was fancily maneuvering his with one.

Link tried to slice into Tomi with a heavy overhead attack. Tomi quickly jumped to the side and kicked Link in the stomach. Link doubled over and tried to stand again but Tomi was too fast and swiftly kicked him in the chin which sent him flying a few feet.

Tomi walked over to Link's left hand which held his sword and kicked Link's weapon away. He then stomped into Link's chest right where the cut was. This time Link let out a gasp of pain. Tomi stood over Link and looked down at him. Link looked back up at him glaring.

"You disappoint me," Tomi said sinisterly. He chose to use his dominant status to slam his foot into Link's nose, which also began to bleed, into his stomach, and lastly into his groin. Link was closing his eyes and was unable to breathe properly from the beating. He opened one eye slightly and tried to speak but no sound came out of his mouth because Tomi immediately kicked him straight in the jaw. Link was forced onto his side from the blow and was coughing slightly.

Tomi raised his sword over his head and was prepared to strike again right when he felt something on the side of his head. It was just a light tap but it made him turn to see where it had come from. Tomi saw a shoe laying on the floor next to him and looked up to see Zelda looking back at him with such a glare it almost made Tomi raise an eyebrow. But then Tomi thought of an idea. He walked over to Zelda and instead of grabbing her again like he had before, he pointed his sword right at her throat. The point was only two inches away from her neck and the flat part of the blade was pushing up her chin, making her look up.

Tomi looked back at Link who had recovered slightly and was slowly climbing towards his fallen sword. "Barenkar!" Tomi cried and suddenly Link's sword flew fifty feet farther from Link. Link looked up at Tomi and glowered at him. His expression quickly changed when he saw that Zelda was in danger again. His strength came back suddenly and he stood up weakly.

"What are you going to do? You have nothing; I have proven your magic is pathetic compared to my own, any projectiles you can think of firing would be pointless, and your sword is far from you," Tomi mocked, "what, oh what are you going to do?"

Link was boxed into a corner; he didn't have any other weapons except his bow, but he did have something else. He had grabbed it just in case things had gone beyond his control, and they had. He pulled out his last resort and looked down upon it.

For the first time in a long, long time, so far back that he could even remember, Tomi's glowing eyes showed fear. There in front of him, being held in Link's hand was the Fierce Deity's Mask. The one thing he had not prepared for. This had gone too far, but he was not in the position to use the time altering spell again. He could only watch as Link pressed the mask against his face and began to transform.

Links green tunic became black armor, his golden hair became silvery white, and his blue eyes became pure white. Tattoos appeared across his face and upon his back was a weapon unlike any other. It was a sword that was swerved into two separate blades, then together again, apart and together once more which gave the deadly weapon resemblance to an eight. The legendary knight looked up at Tomi and smiled evilly. He did not speak; he only took action by drawing his strange sword and readied himself for battle.

Tomi quickly took his sword away from Zelda's neck and instead of getting into a fighting stance, he sheathed his sword and raised his hand, not at the warrior but at Zelda. "Calizé!" Tomi cried. Once again a green bubble surrounded Zelda holding her in once place. "Michatenu." Zelda then rose off the ground so high that she was out of reach from everyone.

Now that Zelda was out of the way Tomi put his attention of the Fierce Deity. He bent his knees and slightly extended both of his arms out in front of him. The Fierce Deity smirked at Tomi and jumped high in the air and pointed his sword right down at him. Tomi only took a second to react, "Vrrendarct!" Lightning shot out of Tomi's palms and hit the soaring warrior right in the chest. The lightning pushed him through the air and back down to the ground with a thud. Tomi ceased his spell and looked at his opponent. To Tomi's horror the Fierce Deity stood up as if nothing had happened.

"Vrrendarct!" Tomi tried again. Lightning once again flew across the room towards the warrior but before he was struck he quickly pulled his sword up to block. Normally a metal sword would not have been a good tool against electricity, but this wasn't a normal situation. The spell merely circled around the blade like a repellant and didn't hurt him at all. Tomi saw it wasn't working and stopped casting. Right when he stopped the bombardment the Fierce Deity slashed his sword through the air to shake off the remaining voltage. The few sparks fell to the floor.

Tomi quickly tried to cycle through of all the spells he knew but his mind was blank. Was there a spell that could actually help him? He had heard of the Fierce Deity. No magic was supposed to affect him, no attack could slice through his armor, and he was undefeated to this day. He also had heard somewhere that once someone had put on the mask; you could not take it off. It was the spirit lurking in the mask that controlled everything.

On the other side of the room the Fierce Deity smirked at Tomi's petty attempts to harm him. He always enjoyed getting out of his imprisonment, and it didn't happen often because Link could usually take care of himself. Even though Link hadn't fought it quite a while, he never stopped practicing. To him Tomi was just another bug he could smash with his boot.

In the blink of an eye Fierce Deity started slashing his sword through the air as if there was some invisible creature he was trying to harm. Every time he attacked with his sword a small disk would fly out of the sword and glided towards Tomi. Tomi did not know what it was but he knew it couldn't be good if it was aimed at him. His reflexes took over and called out the first spell that came to mind, "Casadod!" It was a halting spell for projectiles. The disk kept flying on as if nothing had happened.

"Uh-oh," Tomi whispered. Before he could jump out of the way the small disk flew past Tomi but not before cutting across his stomach and making a long slit that flowed with blood. Tomi looked up to see that a dozen more energy disks were drifting towards him. They were too close to avoid and so all he could do was stand there.

Pain radiated throughout Tomi's body. He was bleeding all over. His robe was in tatters too. Tomi fell to his knees and looked at Fierce Deity who looked back at him. "Mititjen!" Tomi cried. This was a restriction spell that bound the victim in invisible ropes and tied him to the ground. Tomi's hands began to glow white and shot a similar colored vapor. Before the attack got even close to Fierce Deity he but his own hand up and grabbed the vapor as if it were a ball. He quickly threw right back at Tomi that hit him square in the chest. Tomi was thrown onto his back and spread out like a star. He could no longer move his arms and legs, he was helpless.

Fierce Deity walked up to his captive and looked down on him with his mocking smirk. Without a word he pointed his sword so the tip was directed right at Tomi's heart. This would be one of the easiest kills the Fierce Deity would have ever had, even simpler than that pathetic fiend Majora.

"Link, can you hear me? You must break away from the Fierce Deity. You must not let him kill me!" Tomi pleaded into the air, he only hoped that Link was somewhere that he could still watch what was happening. The Fierce Deity's chest began moving up and down rapidly as if he was laughing, but no sound came out.

"So sorry," the Fierce Deity said, his voice was so raspy and deep it seemed demonic, "but Link can not hear you at the moment. But I promise, right after I kill you I will go back to my original state." With that he raised his sword a little higher preparing to strike.

"I'm sorry," Tomi said so quietly that it was almost inaudible. Fierce Deity smirked again.

"Why is that?" He asked calmly. Without responding with some cheesy, threatening comment Tomi gathered all of his internal energy to the center of his body. His body looked as if it was on fire, but really it was just a white aura that became brighter and brighter with each moment passing. His eyes lost their yellow shine and were replaced by two blinding lights. His whole body illuminated the room so brightly it was as if the castle was pitch black before.

Fierce Deity laughed again, "What ever you try, it will fail. I am far stronger than you." Tomi did not speak. It was as if he could not hear, but he could, he just couldn't respond yet…he was so close.

There. Finally he felt them combine into one. Tomi was glowing so brightly the Fierce Deity was starting to wince. Zelda and the King had already been shielding their eyes for quite a while. Tomi finally spoke, "You're right, I am weaker than you. There is no doubt about that," Tomi paused and smiled up at the dark knight, "but you aren't stronger than all of us put together."

Fierce Deity raised an eyebrow and that's all he had time for. Suddenly the raging, flaming, white aura surrounding Tomi gathered itself into a sphere that hovered above his body. Without a command of any sort, the ball of fiery energy shot right into the Fierce Deity. The warrior was thrown all the way across the throne room, hitting the wall that was keeping the King captive.

Tomi lay there with labored breathing and coughing madly. He was so out of energy he could hardly move. This was normal though, in a few moments his energy would return, not to the degree that it was but enough so he could stand.

The Fierce Deity lay unconscious on his stomach. That spell was more than he had ever anticipated. His body was drained of power and even if he became conscious again, he would not have the strength to move. Slowly the black armor deteriorated, the swerved sword disappeared, the tattoos faded, and his silver hair was once again filled with golden blonde color.

Link lay on the ground a few feet from his sword that he had lost not too long ago. When he woke up, moved his shaky hands onto the ground and pushed himself up. He went into sitting position and looked around. When he saw Tomi, he felt an urge to stand but his legs were still not functioning. He watched as Tomi freed himself and stood.

Tomi was standing, not completely sure of his legs. He did not bother to look for the Fierce Deity; he could no longer feel the great power of the mask. He felt the penetrating feeling of being watched and most likely it was Link who had already awoken. Tomi looked up at Zelda who was still in her little prison. Tomi had an idea. It was risky, but necessary.

"Tudu-aruya," Tomi whispered. He slowly rose off the ground and kept climbing until he was side by side with Zelda. He looked at her. She had such fear in her eyes that he almost felt uneasy. He drew his sword and put it into his left hand. With his right hand he waved it over the green sphere. It flickered until it completely faded away. Even though the barrier was gone, Zelda still hovered next to Tomi. Tomi swung the sword above his head and held it there in a gesture that meant, "If you move, I will strike."

Tomi looked right into Zelda's eyes and smiled. He did not smile wickedly, he just smiled. "Let's see how well your hero can fight if you are dead," Tomi said. He drew back his arm a bit more and readied to move.

But before Tomi did have a chance to even lay a finger on Zelda, an arrow was shot right through Tomi's left shoulder. The pain knocked Tomi off balance and he dropped his sword, but he still floated. Tomi turned to see Link, up on one knee with his bow out. Link quickly reloaded with another arrow and let it fly. The second arrow ruptured Tomi's abdomen. Tomi was knocked off balance by the impact and he fell to the ground, defeated.

Since there was nothing to hold Zelda, she began to fall too. She screamed and tried to ready herself for a painful impact, but none came.

End of Part 3


	4. Chapter 4: Confessions

Part 4 Confessions

Zelda opened her eyes and found herself looking into Link's concerned face. He set her down on the ground and moved his hands over her arms and legs. "Are you alright?" Link asked. Zelda just looked at him. She put her own hand on his cheek. Link looked up at her and started to slowly rub her back. Slowly, there faces drew closer together. This is what both Link and Zelda had wanted for years and finally it was happening.

Or it would have happened if they hadn't heard a sound. It was the sound of someone coughing, and it was coming from Tomi. Tomi had survived. Link and Zelda stood up and looked down at him.

"He's alive!" Zelda said astonished. Tomi had cuts everywhere, two arrows protruding from his body, and he had fallen roughly thirty yards to the hard ground. Link quickly pulled out his bow again and cocked another arrow back, ready to fire in case Tomi though of getting up again.

"Link..." Tomi said weakly, "please…I must…tell you something." Link scoffed.

"Whatever it is I don't want to hear it," Link shot back. Link pulled back the string on his bow even farther back.

"Please…just hear…what I… have to say," Tomi pleaded. This time Zelda scoffed, Link narrowed his eyelids.

Through gritted teeth Link said, "Listen to you? After you broke into the castle, killed the guards, kidnapped Zelda, held the King prisoner, attacked me, and tried to murder Zelda…_twice_. Why should I _possibly_ listen to _you_?"

"Because if you don't…everyone will die." Tomi explained.

"I don't think so; I have you at _my_ mercy not the other way around."

"It will not be I…who will kill…it is someone else. Please…listen to me. I came hear…to warn you." Tomi replied. He was obviously weak, he had not opened his eyes and his breathing was becoming shallower.

"Well you done a good job of asking," Zelda said sarcastically. Finally Tomi opened his eyes and looked at Zelda. His face may have been covered in so much blood that they couldn't tell differently, but Link and Zelda both saw that Tomi looked frightened, sorry, and most of all desperate.

"Princess Zelda…I'm…sorry if…I have hurt you," Tomi said. He sounded so pathetic that Link began to think if he was telling the truth. "Link…please…will you…allow me to…heal myself?"

"What do I look stupid?" Link shot back.

"No…but I must…have strength to speak. Link…it is my duty…to tell you. If I do not…then Hyrule will die…and it…will be my fault." Tomi pleaded, this time a bit frantically. Link was beginning to feel like he should ease up. But something told him to not let him say anything, it might be another spell. But then again it might not be, he knew that magic took energy and Tomi seemed to be lacking in that department. He also realized that if Tomi really was planning to harm him or Zelda that he could have easily done it. But right now he was asking Link for permission.

"Alright fine heal yourself, but only enough so you can speak, not so you can move. And I swear that if this is a trick, I will give you an arrow right between the eyes," Link threatened. Zelda looked at Link with curiosity. Link nodded to her as if say, "It's alright, I have it under control."

With shaky and slow movements Tomi reached for his belt. He pulled a small vile of red potion out of a pouch. He uncorked the vile and drank it. He exhaled after drinking to see that his breath was scarlet, a sign that the potion was working. Immediately his cuts closed. He grabbed the arrows and took them out. The holes the arrows had made closed as well. Even his white robe's holes were somehow stitched back together.

Tomi sighed with relief and looked up at Link while getting into sitting position. "My body is cleansed and I have enough strength to talk, but I am not powerful enough to cast a spell. You do not have to worry about that," Tomi explained.

"Don't tell me what I should worry about," Link said forcefully, "you will sit there and tell me what you have to say and you better hope it's good enough for me because if it's not I will not let you leave this castle alive."

"Very well," Tomi responded. He bent his neck so his chin lay on his chest and remained that way for a moment. When he looked back up he had a look that said, "Listen closely." "It is important that you hear this and you can judge me afterwards in any way you want; it doesn't matter to me because at least I have told you." He took a deep breath and began.

"I am a wizard. The life of a wizard is experimental. We try things that have been said to be impossible. We go and do things that people have never heard of. We can make dreams come true by learning how to use our abilities in certain ways.

"My name is Tomi, the last White Wizard. The White Wizards are wizards who have chosen to completely follow the light. The Black Wizards, as you can guess are the opposite and are followers of darkness. A normal person, wizard or not, always is born with a light side and a dark side. But there are…methods in which a person can separate those two halves and become two different people. That is how the White and Black Wizards are formed. But of course it could be foolish to do this to someone and allow the dark side to walk around freely. So, we found a way to capture the darkness right when they were separated.

"There were always people there to make sure the separation would go smoothly, and those people would wait for the darkness to appear. Once it did, they would pin it down and kill it immediately. Of course no one was told of this process before hand because whatever the light knows the darkness knows when they are in the same body. So if you told someone the plan to kill the dark side right away, the dark side would know.

"I wanted to be separated from my darkness and so I asked for it to be done to me. But the night before it was going to happen to me, I overheard some of the other White Wizards talking to each other about what exactly would happen. I did not know that it was crucial for me not to know, so I went along with it as planned.

"The next day I stood in front of the White Wizards and they began the enchantment. When it happened, when I had become two, it was the most wonderful feeling that I had ever felt. The temptations to do dark deeds were gone; I was free and open to do all the things that the light would have me do. I can't describe how much of a release there was, it was like invisible chains that covered my entire body had deteriorated.

"But my bliss was short lived because when I opened by eyes, I saw my darkness killing my comrades. I tried to fight him but he somehow brought me down. Strange isn't it? You would think that since we are both two halves of the same person that we would have the same power. But I learned later that if a person can have a more powerful darkness if they had committed unforgiving sins in the past. Which is exactly why I wanted to be two different people; I want to be free from the curse of my past.

"When I retuned to my senses I saw that my darkness had escaped and everyone, _all_ of the White Wizards had perished. I was alone. I had brought about the death of my friends. I knew then that I would never rest easy as long as I knew that _he_ was out there. I chased him down on many occasions and confronted him, every time he won and left me to die but by some miracle I always survived. I was lucky, I guess. But I noticed something strange; he was casting spells that I had never even heard of and his sword…it was different. It looked alive. The blade possessed a red tint with black veins running every which way. The hands looked as if it was made up of animal intestines.

"Along with his sword he gained other things, he also became so powerful that he is able to summon followers that look like they are dead. They are naked skeletons and are only covered in black armor. They have the power to take the form of anyone that they have seen before. But that trick has flaws. There are always subtle signs that tell you that they are not the real person.

"But as for you, Link, I came here because I have heard of no other warrior with your reputation. Your strength, speed, endurance, caring heart, and desire for what is right is exactly what I need. But I needed to make sure that you really were as powerful as they say. I needed to do combat with you but I needed to see your full strength and I heard the time you fight strongest is when someone or something you care about is in danger. So I needed to take Zelda and use her as a lightning rod. Once you came here and I fought you, I knew that you were the one I was looking for. Also…you defeated me, which is a good sign. Because if you can't beat me, you obviously cannot kill my dark side. But before, during, and after the fight I was regretting what I had to do in order for you to get here," Tomi looked at Zelda again, "I am truly sorry about kidnapping you Princess Zelda, but I hope you realize why I did it. I never was going to hurt you."

Tomi took a deep breathe and sighed greatly with relief. He finally got that all out, now it was up to Link to decide if he was going to help him or not. He looked back to Link and waited.

Link still had his bow aimed at Tomi but he wasn't sure he needed it anymore. While listening to Tomi's story he watched his eyes and listened to his voice. Link had learned how to notice signs of a liar and what he saw told him that Tomi was telling the truth. Finally Link lowered his bow and put it away. He still had questions though.

"If you are completely light…then why did you kill those guards in the foyer?" Link asked.

"I did not kill them, they live within me," Tomi explained, "I have the ability to borrow a person's energy and I can always give it back. If I die the energy goes back by itself. I just needed their energy so I had enough to do battle with you."

"Why did you threaten me so many times if you weren't really going to hurt me?" Zelda asked with such anger that she was almost yelling, "Huh? Answer that!"

"I needed you to feel fear so Link could see that you were scared and thus he would fight with more motivation." Tomi answered. "But before I go any farther with questions, do you want me to lower the barrier holding the King?"

Link and Zelda both looked back towards the throne that the King was sitting in. The King looked back at them with his eyebrows raised and mouthed, "What's going on?" Zelda ran to her father and felt the wall that was still up.

"Yes lower the wall," Link ordered. Tomi lazily waved his hand and suddenly the wall was gone. Zelda ran up to her father and kissed him. "Everything is alright sir, I have it under control."

The King was about to say something but decided not to. Link looked down at Tomi again. "You can stand if you want," Link said calmly, he decided to try and trust Tomi. He would keep an eye on him and watch for any strange behavior, just in case.

Tomi stood, shakily and smiled at Link. "I really am sorry for what I have done to you and everyone else…would you like me to heal you wounds? I feel a bit better now," Tomi requested. Link thought about it, but before he could answer the door to the throne room opened to reveal an angry and tired Impa. Impa saw Tomi and quickly drew her dagger, but then she saw Link standing there calmly and she put a curious look on her face.

"What's going on?" Her voice was frantic. Link went up to her and softly pushed her hand with the dagger down by her side.

"It's alright, he isn't going to hurt anyone else" Link said soothingly. Impa raised an eyebrow, she trusted Link and if he said he trusted this guy, then she did too.

Zelda and the King were approaching. Tomi looked at the King and bowed his head. He was worried the King would be the most furious. But actually the King looked at him and said, "Zelda has told me that she isn't quite sure of you, but Link seems to be comfortable around you. I would like to hear exactly why you are here, though." Tomi repeated why he was here, nothing about the separation or the other wizards though. After Tomi had told the King and Impa they both felt a little better but not completely. Even though Tomi was asking for aid from Link and it was understandable that he would want to test Link first, it was still a bit over the top to kidnap the Princess and the King and leave Impa pinned to a wall.

"That was a bold move that you tried, son." Impa said in an angry tone. Impa did not feel very content with his answer because when ever Zelda was in trouble; her emotions were on a riot. "Link may trust you but I don't. Know that I will be watching you." Impa looked at Zelda, "Sweety, would you like to come up to your room and get changed?" Zelda nodded and walked with Impa towards the door, but as she passed Link she thought of an idea. She turned around to face her father.

"Daddy, can Link stay the night?" Zelda asked. The King looked at Zelda, then at Link, and back to Zelda.

"I suppose if he wants to." The King said simply.

"I would like that," Link answered.

Zelda smiled at Link and walked out of the room. Once they were gone Link turned to the King and asked, "Sir, could Tomi stay here tonight too? I need him to ask him more questions."

The King thought for a second and looked at Link and Tomi. He trusted Link so he said, "He may stay in the spare room next to yours." Link looked at Tomi and he nodded back.

"That sounds good, I'll show him where it is," Link gestured for Tomi to follow and headed for the door that Zelda exited from. Link opened the door for Tomi and he stepped out.

Before Link could leave, he felt the King grab him by the arm and whisper in his ear, "Watch him, Link."

Link looked at the King and nodded, "To tell you the truth, I don't fully trust him either. I will stay up all night if I have to." Link replied. The King released Link and allowed him to leave. Link found Tomi in the hall waiting for him and motioned to follow him. He guided Tomi through a maze of halls until they arrived at his room.

End of Part 4


	5. Chapter 5: Don't Let Go

Part 5 Don't Let Go

Link lay in his bed under the soft, warm blankets. His eyelids were heavy and he felt like he could stay there forever. But nonetheless he couldn't sleep. He couldn't let his guard down just in case Tomi decided to try something malevolent. He had made sure that Tomi's bedroom door and his own were open so Link could hear if Tomi left his room. So far nothing had happened and Link was tired. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was three in the morning. Sleepily Link's eyes fluttered closed only to immediately open again.

_I can't fall asleep, _Link thought to himself, _not until I feel it's safe. I may have to stay up all night._ Link groaned and tried to think of something to keep his mind off of sleep. _I wonder what Tomi looks like. He hides his face in his hood; no one can see anything except his eyes. Those eyes…if there is anything I would ever remember about him it would be his eyes. _Link thought of other things about Tomi. He hadn't been able to ask him more questions like he had wanted to because Tomi asked if he could go to sleep right when Link showed him his room.

Link began to think of his house and wondered if he should redecorate. He had kept it the same way for a long time. Then again, he did like this bed, maybe he could ask if he could live here. After all the guards lived in the castle and the King liked him, so maybe it was a possibility.

Before Link could think anymore on the matter he heard a noise. It was a sort of tap. It was only slight but it was still questionable. Link heard it come from the hall. Link shot up to a sitting position and listened intently. He heard it again and this time it sounded further away.

Link jumped out of bed, grabbed his sword, and ran out into the hall. He looked up and down the hall and saw only an empty corridor. He went to Tomi's room and ran in. He ran right to Tomi's bed and as he had expected, it was empty.

_Darn it,_ Link thought, cursing himself for not being faster. He tried to think, _where could he go? He doesn't know where anything is in the castle…does he? _Link's eyes widened with horror. _Oh no…Zelda!_

He didn't waste any time. He ran out of Tomi's bedroom and down the hall. He traveled down multiple corridors and entered the foyer. He ran up the left staircase and began the climb to Zelda's bedroom. He had to go up several sets of stairs to get to the level that her room was on. He ran up taking three stairs at a time. When he got to the floor he rushed down hallways until he found the one that he was looking for. He charged for Zelda's doorway and didn't even knock for permission. He ran into the door with his shoulder and it flew open. He ran inside and looked around.

Zelda shot up and looked at him. She was in her room. She was in her bed. She was safe. Link looked back at her and let out a long sigh of relief. Zelda looked at him, worried. She got out of bed and ran over to him. He was sweating and looking frantic.

"You're ok," Link gasped, trying to catch his breath. He sat on the ground and breathed deeply.

"Link, what's going on?" Zelda asked worry in her face. She knelt down by him and put a hand on his shoulder. What was wrong with him?

Link looked up at her and hugged her around the waist. "You're ok," he repeated. Zelda was surprised by Link's gesture, but welcomed it.

"Link, please tell me what's going on. Are you ok?" She asked hugging him back.

Link broke the hug and sighed. "Tomi…he isn't in his room. Have you heard anything?" Zelda shook her head. "I don't know where he is, where can he go? He doesn't know where anything is, right?"

"Well, he did know where my room was when he kidnapped me, so I don't know exactly how much he knows." Zelda replied. She looked at Link and realized that he had run all the way up there just to see if she was alright. She wrapped her arms around him again and kissed his forehead. "Thank you for coming to find me."

Link's cheeks grew scarlet and his eyes widened. He hugged her back and pressed his face into her shoulder. She laid her head on his and closed her eyes. She was hugging Link, her heart was beating faster and she started to blush as well. Unconsciously she started to run her fingers through his hair and hugged him harder. He moved his hand up and down her back and relaxed when he felt her delicate fingers brushing his hair.

"Link," Zelda whispered, "there has been something I've wanted to tell you…for a long time." This was it; she was going to tell him and she only prayed that he wouldn't reject her. "I…I…uh." She was stuttering, she was losing her bravery. Link looked up at her with an expression that melted her heart. That's what she loved about him; just looking at her made her feel like everything was going to be alright.

"You…" Link said to get her to try again.

"I…I like you Link," Zelda said tentatively, "a lot. You're my best friend; you have been for so long. But I…" she took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for what I'm about to say." She paused. "I feel more than friendship feelings for you. I feel like I want to be with you, only you. You're the only one that I have felt this way about, ever. I want to be with you forever. I feel complete when I am by you. I think that…I love you, Link." Zelda clenched her eyes closed and never wanted to open them again. She didn't want to see his face when he said he didn't feel the same way about her.

Link sat there dumbfounded. He released his hug around Zelda and stared out into space. He had been told what he had wanted to hear for so long and now the only thing he could do was sit there not able to say anything.

Finally he found himself and he looked up at her. "Zelda--" Link froze in mid sentence. Something weird happened to him, it was a physical something, it was a feeling. A feeling that brought him back to the though of Tomi. He somehow knew right where Tomi was. But how was that possible? He stood up and faced the door to leave, but turned back to Zelda. "I'm sorry…but I have to go." Without another word Link ran out of her room and down the hall.

Zelda remained sitting on the floor with her eyes shut. Tears ran down her cheeks, he had not said it back. What was she thinking? Of course he wouldn't say it back! Why would he feel that way about her? Now everything was ruined; because of what she had done he would leave and never come back. She had scared him away. She let her side drop to the floor. She lay there crying over the boy she would never have.

Link sprinted down the hallway until her came to the stairway that led to the rooftop. Tomi was here, he knew it. Link climbed the stairs three at a time and arrived at the door. He opened it to see a clear night sky. The stars shown brightly with the full moon. Link looked around he could see everything for miles.

Directly in front of him, looking over the castle market town, with his back to Link, stood Tomi. His robe seemed to shine under the moon's light. The calm breeze moved the robe ever so slightly, but Tomi was still. He stood there like a statue, not moving a single muscle. Link cautiously walked up to him. When he was about fifteen feet away Tomi spoke, "You have come." His voice was smooth, not a hint of annoyance, malice, or anger. He remained with his back turned.

Link walked to Tomi's left side and looked at him. "Why are you up here?" Link asked.

"The night is so calm, don't you think?" Tomi asked back. Link wondered if that was the answer or if that was just a way to change the subject.

"Why did you leave your room? I asked you to stay put," Link said.

"I figured that you wanted to speak with me. So I thought that this was a comfortable place," Tomi explained, "You may ask me anything that you want, if you are still unclear about something."

"Alright," Link replied, "can I see you face?"

Tomi did not respond immediately. It was like he was thinking about an answer. "It is not out of any type of disrespect. But I will not show you," Tomi said, "People need their secrets."

"Is the secrecy of your face that important?" Link asked.

"To me…it is." Tomi said simply.

_Hmm, I put that under the suspicious file, _Link thought to himself. "Alright, I'll let that go. But answer me this…how did you know about what I had planned to do with Zelda today?" Link asked.

Tomi, again, didn't answer right away. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that either."

"Tomi, let me explain something to you," Link said, "you kidnap Zelda and somehow you know where her bedroom is, you know the location of the throne room, of where the rooftop is, and you know the agendas for Zelda and me. Then you tell me that you won't tell me how you know these things. If you keep answering my questions like this, I will never trust you.

'You don't have to," Tomi replied, "it doesn't matter if you trust me or not, as long as you and I are fighting the same enemy."

Both Link and Tomi were silent. Link's eyes never left Tomi as he thought of something. He reviewed the story that Tomi had told in the throne room. He was the light side of the coin and he had come to ask Link for help. But something was strange about that. Why would a person that is completely filled with light kidnap a fourteen-year-old girl? Tomi said he needed to test Link, but was that true? Was he really just testing Link and not going for death? So far Tomi had not seemed like the trustworthy person.

_What if he really was trying to kill Zelda and me? _Link pondered.

"There is no way for me to express my apologies to you and Zelda, but I can only tell you words that you can believe or not. I can tell you, for example, that I really wasn't trying to harm anyone, I wasn't going to kill you or anyone else." Tomi said.

"What? Did you just…" Link stopped and looked hard at Tomi, "…you can read minds, can't you?"

This time Tomi stayed quiet for long time. He remained still even though the breeze had picked up slightly. Finally Tomi slightly turned his head towards Link. "Yes," Tomi answered, "Usually I can control it, but there are special cases."

"Like what?" Link asked in a harsh tone; he didn't like the idea of people being able to go into his thoughts.

"When I meet someone for the first time I automatically read their mind by seeing some portions of their memories and information that they have learned throughout their lives. It is usually skin deep information that I gather. In yours case and Zelda's, I found out what plans you had for each other…and you feelings for each other. That is one of the irritating parts of this ability; I cannot choose what I learn. Another unfortunate part is that on rare occasions I lose control of it and read a mind automatically. Like what just happened with you. I accidentally heard what you were thinking and I thought you had said it aloud so I answered it as if it were a question," Tomi explained, "do you understand?"

"So you figured out the schematics of the castle from a servant or a guard?" Link asked. Tomi nodded. "I guess it wouldn't make much of a difference if I told you that I don't trust that little talent of yours."

Tomi shook his head. "I was born with this power and I have had to deal with it my entire life."

"Wait a minute if you have this ability, wouldn't that mean that the other you has the same power?" Link wondered.

"Mysteriously, no. When the separation took place we both got half of each other's birth given power." Tomi explained.

"Half the power?" Link asked.

"I originally, when I was only one, had three different abilities that were passed down to me hereditarily. I could read minds, control minds, and contact minds. He has the power to dominate a mind and bend it to his will. We both have the power to contact someone and speak with them from far distances through our minds," Tomi said.

"Is that how I knew you were up here?" Link asked.

"Yes…I am sorry for interrupting your time with Zelda," Tomi apologized.

_Zelda! I just left her in her room alone. I could have stayed and told her my own feelings but I just chickened out. It's funny how I can go and fight demonic creatures but I can't tell someone how I feel about them, _Link thought to himself.

"Did you tell her your feelings?" Tomi asked him. Link looked up at him.

"No, you called me and so I left." Link replied.

"We both know that's not the whole reason that you left," Tomi said, "you are nervous about telling her, aren't you? Why?"

"I feel…I feel like I wouldn't be a good partner for her. She deserves better that what I can giver her," Link responded.

"Link, I am going to tell you a life experience that I have had. I once had a lover named Aliya. She was the sun to my day and the moon to my night. Her voice was like oxygen and without it I couldn't breathe. I would do anything for her and she for me. But when I went to have the separation and my darkness escaped, he got to her first. He tried to get her to follow him, but she refused. And he killed her. He gave her injuries that would kill her slowly so she would suffer a long time. When I got to her, she was close to death. I tried to heal her, but he had put some kind of barrier around her that stopped her from healing. She died in my arms.

"I had planned to come home after the separation had taken place and spend the rest of my life with her as a follower of light. My life was ruined that day and I only had one purpose left in life, to kill the one responsible.

"I have told you this because I don't want you to make the same mistake that I did. I want you to be with Zelda and care for her. Protect her and watch over her. I made the mistake of thinking that no matter what happened she would still be with me…I was wrong. Don't make my mistake…don't let her go, Link. Please don't let her go." Tomi finished his story and stood silent again. Link looked up at Tomi differently than before. The love of his life had been murdered. He felt sorry for him, but he didn't feel that way for long. A new feeling rose up in Link, determination.

Without a word to Tomi Link turned around and went back into the castle. He walked back through the familiar hallways and stairs until he had come to the hallway Zelda's room was in.

Zelda stood in front of her window looking out into the courtyard. She could barely see it through her tear filled eyes. How could she be so stupid? She wasn't good enough for Link. She never was and never would be. She didn't deserve his companionship.

Zelda heard her door open. She wiped her eyes quickly and turned. There she saw Link walking towards her. "Link…I…" Zelda began but didn't go further because Link but his finger up to his lips. Zelda stood there being approached by Link, the one who didn't want her.

Link only had one thing in mind now; everything else in the world didn't matter anymore. He came closer to the tear streaked Zelda. Seeing her saddened face made him want to hug her and comfort her. No not hug her…more than that.

Link was only a few feet away from her now. He stopped right in front of her, about two feet between them. Zelda was shaking from embarrassment and fear of what Link might say. Link on the other hand was smiling internally. Link moved so their faces we now inches apart. Zelda's eyes widened.

Like two moths clumsily bumping to each other, their lips touched. In a second the two were pressing their lips into each other like it was the last day on earth. They hugged each other tightly and finally broke apart. Their eyes never left the others. They kissed again, enjoying the feel of the warm skin of their partner. Link and Zelda shared their kisses for what seemed like a eternity.

They focused only on each other and to them it seemed like the world around them faded into nothing.

End of Part 5


	6. Chapter 6: The Black Wizard

Author's Note: For some stupid reason fanfiction won't let me break up the different sections between Tomi and Link, so I place dashes (-) to indicate that the story has switched to the other person. You'll be able to tell the difference of the point of views but I apolgize in advance for any confusions or inconveniences. Hope you enjoy.

Part 6 The Black Wizard

Tomi looked over the castle town. The distant candle lights flickered on the window sills. He watched a few people walk around. Sometimes the town dogs followed them. It had gotten colder. The once pleasant breeze was starting to pick up. A colder wind swished through the leaves on the trees and shook free a few that landed on him.

He stood completely still, watching everything. He was worried that his darkness had the same plan as he did. He knew the power was a beacon and Link and Zelda were brimming with it. The nights were the most dangerous of course; the denseness of night fed the dark followers hunger. If his darkness appeared, he only hoped that he would be strong enough.

He watched a guard pace back and forth in front of the town's drawbridge. The guard seemed tired and unenthusiastic. Tomi could understand why, but he didn't approve of it. It explained the reason he got through the castle gates so easily. This town had been free from harm for so long that everyone seemed to have gotten soft. Even Link.

That's when he saw it. The faint illumination of the torches and candles were all abruptly gone. Everything was plunged into blackness. The only light came from the moon, Tomi's eyes, and the inner glow of his robe.

The wind was becoming so fierce that the leaves were coming loose and shooting past him like bullets. His robe waved violently, but his hood always stayed up obscuring his face.

Tomi reached for his sword but just when his hand touched the handle he was shot back by a blast of energy. Tomi landed not too far away. He hadn't even seen it coming. How was he hit by energy when he hadn't heard a spell being cast? He tried to stand again but right when he got up he was hit again.

_What is this? _Tomi asked himself. As if on cue he heard footsteps coming toward him. He hoped it was Link who had come back to check on him, but he knew that was unlikely. Tomi looked up to see a figure hidden behind a black robe. They were identical; their robes, height, eyes. The only things different was their swords and the color of their robes. You might say they looked like a yin-yang, but a yin-yang cannot truly tell how opposite and yet the same these two were.

Tomi stood and this time wasn't flown back. They locked eyes, glow with glow. The black wizard smirked malevolently.

"Interesting that you chose to come here," Dark Tomi said. "Asking a fourteen year old boy for help…I never thought you would become that desperate."

"You know who he is, if I can't destroy you then he can." Light Tomi stated confidently.

"And if he can't? What will happen then?" Dark Tomi asked.

"I have no doubt that he can." Light Tomi assured him.

"Yes you do…" Dark Tomi said condescendingly. "You have doubt and you know as well as I that doubt is contagious. It will rub off on him and if he is doubtful his mind will be clouded. He will be easy prey" Light Tomi just stared at him. "You're planning something aren't you?"

The white wizard's eyes widened and swiftly narrowed again. "You can't read my mind." Light Tomi said.

"But I can read emotions and voices." Dark Tomi said with a small chuckle.

"What? But we never…" Light Tomi stuttered.

"Yes, _we_ never did learn how to do that. But I did." The black wizard grinned. "I have learned much. I have mastered the level of non verbal spells. I have sat, read, practiced over and over again. But you have not. You just stick with your old basics and don't bother learning new things. You hunt me night and day; you search for something you cannot have. You are fighting a battle that cannot be won."

His words meant nothing. Tomi must not listen; his darkness was trying to scare him, to anger him. But then he realized something. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"I have learned the one spell that literally makes me unlimited in power and I thought it would be most enjoyable to use on one of the most renowned warriors known. Link really is a strong one for his age, Zelda too." Dark Tomi explained.

"I know the same spell." Light Tomi said simply.

"But you don't use it correctly. If I had the both Zelda and Link within me, no one could surpass me then."

"You are not immortal, you would die eventually."

"Would I? With the power of the Hero of Time and the leader of Sages I could control time and all the elements of life so I could live forever." Dark Tomi explained.

"That can't happen." Light Tomi said calmly. "Link's mind and heart are too strong to be used by you." Dark Tomi's response, to his surprise, was laughter.

"Of course he is! That's why I need to break him down, to let his emotions make is judgments murky." Dark Tomi said. "I need to take something he can't see clearly without."

Light Tomi's eyes widened with fear. "Zelda."

"Yes, Zelda." The darkness replied, again condescendingly.

"I can't let that happen." Light Tomi said determined. He drew his sword with one fluid movement and pointed the blade at his malicious side.

The black wizard merely shrugged. "It has already begun." He drew his sword slowly and lined it up with the other. "You'll see."

Quick as lightning, the two wizards clanged their sword together. One or the other attacked while the other parried and blocked. There were moments when the pearl white and jet black of the blade seemed to be invisible as if the were together. They were moving so fast Light Tomi was getting a bit shaken. The single second of his guard lowering allowed the darkness to slice across his chest and kick him with such force he was thrown back. When he hit the ground the air in his lungs had disappeared and he was gapping.

He needed to get back up. He may not be as powerful, but be had to try.

-Meanwhile, Link and Zelda were happily occupied with sweet kisses. They nuzzled and held each other in a hug that felt like the harmony of heaven's song. They didn't even hear the wind get harsher outside, they only cared about what was happening for them in that moment.

Then Link felt something. It was similar to the feeling he got when he knew the location of Tomi. He raised his head away from Zelda and looked towards the open door. He saw nothing. He turned back to Zelda and whispered in her ear, "Get down under the bed." Zelda looked at him with a quizzical look. "You have to trust me." He looked at her with such care and seriousness that she couldn't say no. They kissed each other once more and she scurried under her bed.

Link went back to his sword that was lying on the ground and drew it, leaving the scabbard on the floor. He cautiously stepped out into the corridor and looked left and right. No one was there. He had felt Tomi contact him; he got a feeling that told him, "Get ready."

He walked back to Zelda's bed and crouched down next to it. "Whatever happens, don't come out for anything." He didn't wait for a response and walked back out to the hallway, closing the door behind him.

He suddenly heard a faint whistle from his left. He moved his head just in time to see a knife fly by him. It landed a few yards away. Link looked for the source of the attack and saw a black armored beast coming at him with a sword drawn As it got closer Link saw that it was a skeleton. Link remembered the creatures Tomi told him about and readied himself. Link blocked the monster's shaky attacks and hastily sliced right through its neck, the skull fell to the floor. Link thought the fight was over when the skeleton swung its sword again. Link was surprised but quickly shook it off and slashed away at it. One crushing blow sliced right through the creature's armor and Link saw something. Right where any human's heart would be was a large black stone. It appeared to be onyx but Link didn't care about that. Taking a chance he stabbed at the stone. One by one every bone disconnected from the other and fell in a pile on the floor right next to the skull.

Link sighed with relief. But his rest was short lived when he saw four more of the same fiend coming at him from behind. He placed himself in front of Zelda's bedroom door and got in a fighting stance. All four of the beasts were coming at him, when he got an idea. All he had was his sword but he could still use magic. Right when the first skeleton was upon him Link ducked down and charged his sword with flaming energy. He spun around making a ring of fire around him. His enemies were burned, pushed back, and on the floor but not dead. Luckily the attack cracked part of their armor and Link charged. One at a time he stabbed the creatures in their black hearts. Each one falling at his feet.

This time Link didn't let his guard down. He looked up and down the passageway and to his horror he saw parties of these things coming at him from both directions. Link once again put himself between the doorway and the monsters. He would protect Zelda with his life.

-Tomi was bleeding and exhausted. His darkness moved so quickly he had a hard time seeing the sword's blade. Every combo with his sword lead up to a spell he couldn't see coming because his darkness never cried out the spell's name.

He was on the ground again and he tried to get up, but was having a hard time making his legs work. He looked up at his other half and saw him casting something else. Dark Tomi lifted his left arm, causing three stones from the nearest tower to hover over to him. When he lowered his arm again the three missiles pummeled Light Tomi making a gash in his temples.

Tomi's darkness then made his hand like a claw as lightning shown from his finger tips. The electricity ran through Light Tomi's body and he cried out in pain. "You're not presenting much of challenge are you?" Dark Tomi asked. He grabbed Light Tomi by the neck and with amazing strength threw him into the air and cast a fireball at him. Light Tomi grunted in agony and fell to the ground again.

Dark Tomi walked up to him and kicked him in his stomach. For a side treat he kicked his groin with the heel of his foot. "This is why you are not fit to protect anyone. Not Aliya, not Link, Zelda, not even yourself."

Light Tomi thought of something, it was the only thing he could think of. His body began to illuminate with a bright white light. He had to combine everyone that was inside him. "Oh, please, do you really think that will work?" Within seconds Light Tomi found the energy he needed, without thinking he fired the blast at his darkness.

The darkness had already prepared and but up a dome of protective dark energy. The attack merely bounced off the shield and faded into nothing.

Tomi had nothing left. He could only await his death to come.

-Link was picked up by another skeleton and was thrown through Zelda's doors landing on the stone floor.

_No. I can't let them get her. _Link picked himself up and charged again only to be met with a kick to his stomach and his head. He fell on his back and felt himself being picked up again and thrown across the room. He hit the opposite wall, head first and landed on the floor, unconscious.

-Surprisingly, there was no pain when Tomi felt a hand on his chest. He opened his eyes to see his darkness looking down at him.

"I'm not going to kill you. I want to make this a little interesting. Feel free to heal yourself when you find the strength." Dark Tomi said. He stood up and began walking away. "Maybe you should head down to the foyer; that would be a good place to fight wouldn't it?"

Tomi watched his darkness phase through the floor as if it weren't there. Tomi tried to sit up but couldn't. He could only wait until at least a small degree of his energy came back so he could heal himself.

_Why did he leave me like this? He has something planned, that's obvious enough. _Tomi pondered. _I only hope that Link is alright._ Tomi rested his head on the stone ceiling floor and tried to gather strength.

-Link awoke with everything sore. He could feel every injury he had endured. There were cuts and gashes all over his arms and chest. His right leg had been stabbed, but it wasn't very deep. He couldn't hear any stomps of the skeletons' boots, they must have gone.

Link opened his eyes and shot up into a sitting position, ignoring the pain in his chest. He crawled up to Zelda's bed and moved the blankets out of the way. He looked under her bed and saw nothing.

Link gritted his teeth. _No. I let them get away. They couldn't have gotten far. _He stood up regardless the protesting pain in his body and moved as fast as he could out to the hallway.

Before he could go any further he saw someone. It was Tomi, white robe and all.

End of Part 6


	7. Chapter 7: Deceiving Eyes

Part 7 Deceiving Eyes

"Tomi they took her, we have to go after her!" Link exclaimed.

Tomi cocked his head. "Why?"

Link was taken aback. Why? Why in the world would he ask that now? "We have to go after her now and save her. They couldn't have gotten far, so let's go." Link began running down the corridor towards Tomi, but right when he was about to pass, Tomi put out a hand to stop him. Link stopped and looked at him questioningly. Without saying anything Tomi did a roundhouse kick to Link's forehead.

Link was knocked back and he looked back at Tomi with astonishment. Tomi frowned at him "You actually believed my story about my dark half?" Tomi laughed. "You're such a child. You're gullible and obey everyone because you want to do the right thing. My men are already far away with Zelda and you can't do anything to help her."

Link didn't know how to react. So he let his body take over. He charged at Tomi with sword drawn. Tomi drew his sword and the two fought. Tomi had gotten faster since the last time they fought, how could that be? Link tried so hard to get a single strike onto him but all were in vain. Tomi eventually grabbed the blade of Link's sword, stopping his next attack, and kicked him so hard that Link went flying ten feet away.

Link looked up in time to see Tomi walking away from Link back down the hallway. There was only one way he could take and that was the foyer. He was most likely trying to escape and get back to his men so he was going to head back to the drawbridge. He had to get to the foyer before he lost his chance. He wouldn't let Zelda go.

Tomi opened his eyes. He was fully healed, finally. His body was free from injury but he was still tired and he didn't know how well he could move.

He thought he still had enough strength to use the spell his darker half used to leave. "Kironenen!" Tomi sunk through the stone ceiling and down through the various castle floors. When he reached the bottom level he looked around. He was in the foyer. Everything seemed to be the way it was an hour ago.

He heard footsteps coming from the once of the staircases ahead of him. He quickly drew his sword preparing to see his darkness or one of his skeletal minions. But to his surprise he saw Link running down the staircase, covered in blood, angry as ever.

"Link what happened?" Tomi asked, concerned.

Link narrowed his eyes and pointed his sword at him. "Don't waste you last breaths on lies. Just tell me where she is."

Tomi looked at Link hard. Zelda was gone and that would explain his anger but why was Link blaming him? _Oh no, he must have gone to Link and tricked him._

"Link listen to me. What you saw wasn't what you think. My darkness is already on his way out of here, we have to get him before he gets out of our grasp." Tomi said.

"You're just trying to fool with my head. Now tell me where she is!" Link said through gritted teeth.

"No, Link you must listen, I am not lying to you. My darkness must have come to you and confused you. Please Link you must believe me." Tomi pleaded.

"Enough of this then, if you aren't going to tell me, then I'll beat it out of you!" Link unleashed a battle cry and ran at Tomi.

Tomi quickly drew his sword and began blocking Link's flurry of attacks. He couldn't harm Link, he looked harmed enough as it was, emotionally and physically.

Link was trying his hardest to get through Tomi's continuous parries, but to no avail. Finally he tried to do something different; he faked an attack to Tomi's head and quickly changed course for his leg. Tomi fell for it and was sliced across the thigh with Link's sword. Link watched him topple over slightly and he back handed him across the face with his fist. Tomi fell to the floor.

Link took this opportunity and ran to the main entryway. Before he could open the door however, Tomi called out a spell.

"Mikarulat!" A wall of energy rose up between Link and the door, locking him inside. Link whirled around and charged at Tomi again. Tomi quickly jumped up to his feet and started to block Link's attacks once more.

Tomi began to realize that in order to get Link to listen to him he would have to take offense and pin him down. Tomi parried three more fierce attacks from Link and quickly slammed his elbow across Link's cheek. Link lost balance slightly and Tomi took his chance casting another spell. "Vokolran!" Link was blown by a harsh wind across the foyer and landed on his back. "Mititjen!" White vapor shot out of Tomi's hand and floated towards the younger boy. This was the spell that Tomi had tried to use on the Fierce Deity but it backfired and he ended up being bound to the floor. Link tried to stand but when he was halfway up he collided with the enchantment. He was shot back to the ground once more with his arms and legs spread, unable to move.

Tomi sheathed his sword in order to appear non-threatening and slowly walked towards his captive. When he was at Link's side he looked down at him. Link was struggling to get free from the invisible bounds but Tomi knew he had him pinned well enough to get close. He had been taught how to speak with a persuasive voice and he would need all of his skills in order to break the hold his darkness had put on Link. He crouched down lower to Link and put a hand over the boy's heart. Link didn't seem to notice, he was too preoccupied with trying to release himself.

"Link, please listen to me." Tomi pleaded. Link didn't hear him, or chose not to pay attention. "I beg you, Link, please. Try to see the truth." No matter how hard he tried, Tomi could not get through to him. Then Tomi thought of something, it was a spell that he had used only once before, it was for situations such as these.

Tomi pressed down a little harder on Link's heart and chanted, "Kuda-tiyo-magju-daja-yalle-coho-osu." Within moments the place where Tomi had his hand on Link's chest began to glow. The spell Tomi had cast allowed him to look inside Link's life force and see if there was anything that there shouldn't be, such as a curse that his darkness would have put. Tomi searched within the different energies that were part of Link's spirit. He couldn't help but notice how much light that was present in the boy's soul. It was as if he had undergone the separation as Tomi had. But one thing stood out from anything else, a small dark spot that was hardly noticeable. Tomi was sure that this was what he was looking for. Tomi immediately reached out with the spell and tried to grab the small intruder of Link's body. The little thing was taken hold of without a problem. Now Tomi only needed to say the last part of the chant and it would be gone.

"Mirada-fuyashuka-miya-duraa-sakka-hei-AHHHHH!" Tomi had begun the chant but right when he was about to end it something struck him from behind. Tomi turned an saw Impa standing over him. She had he dagger in hand and it was pointed and his throat.

"Let go of him, now!" Impa cried. Tomi didn't remove his hand from Link's heart but he turned his head a bit more in order to get a better view of Impa.

"You don't understand he's been cursed by--," Before Tomi could finish his sentence he was smacked across the face with such force that he fell onto his side.

"You! I knew you were not to be trusted." Because of the impact Tomi's hand was removed and the spell had ended. Tomi would have to go back in, in order to get rid of the curse. Also, because his focus had been put elsewhere the invisible bounds vanished from Link's wrists and ankles. Link stood up and grabbed his sword again. Now Tomi would have to try to contain Link while persuading Impa of his good intentions.

Tomi quickly stood and drew his sword again, right in time to see Impa pull out small knives that he recognized as kunai. One at a time Impa threw them at him while Link charged. Tomi quickly deflected every kunai with his sword and came down with a strike on Link's sword. Impa quickly joined the fight with her dagger and all at once Tomi was fighting two on one.

All three of them were moving too quickly in order for Tomi to cast a spell. Another problem was that fighting two enemies was not a normal thing for him, not to mention that both of them had particularly light weapons and so they could move with rapid attacks. He was able to block every attack, but just barely.

Tomi slashed at both of them, Impa leaned back with a dodge while Link ducked. Link, being under Tomi's defensive zone jabbed the pummel of his sword into Tomi's stomach. The unexpected force made Tomi double over, which gave Impa a chance to do a dozen light slashes on him. Quickly Link stood back up to his full height and slashed away as well. Tomi was helpless, slash after slash more of his blood was spilt and his robe became mere strips of cloth. Tomi tried his best to take back control of the fight but every attempt was worthless.

Finally Impa drove her dagger into Tomi's abdomen while Link shoved the pummel of his sword against Tomi's throat, making him unable to breathe. Tomi's body finally gave out and he collapsed on the floor. Defeated.

Link looked down at his enemy. He had destroyed the one who took Zelda away from him for the second time. Yet…something seemed a bit off. Link looked over at Impa who had a smirk on her face. Strange, Link had never seen her happy over killing something, let alone a person. As if she felt him looking at her she looked back at him.

"You'd better go and rescue her, there's no telling what they'll do to her if you don't get there in time to stop them." Impa said. Link hesitantly nodded and walked towards the doorway. When he was almost there however, he saw that the barrier Tomi had placed was still there. That meant…

Link whirled around and looked at Impa again. What he saw on her face was shocking to him. She had an expression of pure ominous bliss, as if this day could not have been better, regardless of a death, a betrayal, and capture of Zelda. Link had never seen her like this; he had never seen anyone like this, not even Ganondorf. That's when Link remembered something. It was something that Tomi had said to him during his description of his darkness. No, he couldn't believe it, it couldn't be true. But in his heart, Link knew it was.

Without a word Link drew his sword again. He walked towards the body of Tomi again and looked down at his unmoving body. Impa looked up as he saw Link approach again. "What?" She asked impatiently.

Without looking up at her he said, "The barrier at the door is still up, he's still alive." In the corner of his eye he saw Impa's eyes widen.

"Then, let me finish this." Impa declared. Link saw her reach for another kunai from her belt but right before she could reach it Link stabbed his sword right through Impa's chest.

All was silent except Impa coughing up black blood. Black, the color of the skeleton knights' hearts, and that was exactly what she was. Link had remembered that Tomi told him the skeleton minions of his darkness could have any identity, except for a few flaws and this creature had the flaw of Impa's personality.

Link watched emotionless as Impa's appearance transformed into once of the armored skeletons. Link pulled his sword out of its chest before it fell to the ground, dead.

Link immediately crouched beside Tomi would was barely holding onto life. But Tomi was able to open his eyes and look at Link. Link looked up and down Tomi's body as if looking for someway to heal him. The only thing he could think of was taking out the dagger from his abdomen. But right when he reached for it Tomi stopped him.

"No…it is too late." Tomi whispered. His words were barely audible. "You must…do this alone. But…there is still…hope. Link…please…repeat after me. Dayu-Cogein."

"Dayu-Cogein." Link said. He felt terrible; he knew he was going to be the cause of Tomi's death. He knew that because of him he had to fight his darkness alone. Completely alone. Tears were threatening to spill over in Link's eyes but he did not show it on his face. He couldn't have weakness for the battle that was going to happen.

"Use it…that spell...when you see my darkness. You can beat him…Link. I know…I know…you can." Tomi said. His breath was sort both he and Link knew it was over. "Good…bye...friend."

"Goodbye, my friend." Link knew that he could finally say that with truth. Never had Tomi wished him true harm, he only cared about saving Hyrule and its people. That was a hero in Link's book.

And with that, Tomi the last White Wizard was dead.

Link stood up and sheathed his sword. He turned his back on the castle foyer and ran outside. The barrier that had been there was down. Link sprinted to the stables and grabbed the nearest horse with a saddle. He mounted it and charged out. Then he rode, past the gate, past the market, past the drawbridge, and out to the Hyrule fields. Not once looking back.

End of Part 7


	8. Chapter 8: Gain of One Lost

Part 8 Gain of One Lost

From the moment Link and Zelda met four years ago they both shared a bond. They were able to know where the other was. They could tell how the other was emotionally feeling, but only to a certain extent. However, this bond could be blocked. Such as the time during the time journey that Link had experienced, where no one in Hyrule knew what had come of the Princess or if she was even alive. Link had doubted from time to time if Zelda had survived the seven years he had not been in the material world. That was what frightened him the most; not being able to know what had happened to his closest friend. However, the day Sheik revealed himself to be Zelda in disguise the bond was active once more. The two never were able to fully understand the nature of their bond, but they had theories. Possibly the Triforce gave the chosen ones of power, wisdom, and courage a bond, or possibly the Ocarina of Time had done something to them when Zelda left the telepathic vision for only Link to hear. Now Link had an idea that it was possible the two were able to feel each other as they could because they had their feelings of love for each other.

Regardless of the bond's mystery of how or why it had appeared, Link needed its power now.

Link was rushing across the smooth, luscious grass of Hyrule fields that he would have stayed and looked in awe upon if he was not currently racing to catch up on the dark advocates. He was barely keeping track of where he was going because he was concentrating too intently on finding Zelda. He reached out with his senses and tried to feel where she was without any success. Finally he realized he needed to stop in order to fully concentrate.

He halted the horse somewhere in the middle of the fields and closed his eyes. He reached out, listening, feeling. After almost a minute of just sitting there he got a result. Out toward Lake Hylia he felt something, though it didn't feel as if it were Zelda. It was strange, possibly Tomi's darkness was trying to cut off the bond to make it so Link was riding blind. This thought worried him, if Dark Tomi was able to cut off the bond what could he be doing to Zelda?

Link quickly turned the horse toward the direction of the lake and began charging through the fields once more. He had to hurry; he couldn't let anything happen to Zelda. If anything did…he couldn't even think of the outcome.

----------------------------------

He finally came upon the two gates that tried to keep everyone of the lake area, but always failed. Except this time when he came upon the gates he saw that they had been blasted to pieces. The few pieces of metal littered the surrounding area. The shattered gates weren't the only sign that Dark Tomi had been there, for there were two skeletal minions standing at the ready guarding the way.

Luckily Link had prepared for any guardsmen that were left standing around. He directed the horse for the creature on the left and continued at the same pace. Before his horse rammed into it, however, Link leapt off its back and flew towards the second one with sword drawn. The minion didn't have enough time to react before Link drove his sword directly downwards through the skull and into the heart, killing it instantly. The armored corpse fell to the ground as Link looked back to see what happened to the other one. The horse had hit its target and kept on running in the same direction as if nothing had occurred. However the skeleton did not let it get too far before forming a ball of what seemed to be black fire around its boney hand and send it flying towards the stallion. Link watched in horror as the flames caught on the horse's flesh and started burning it alive. The horse screamed with agony, running in circles trying to get away from the fire that continued to scorch its way up the horse's spine and mane. It collapsed on the grassy terrain shaking madly with fear and pain until it was motionless and the creature's muscles and bones were burning away. Link threw himself at the animal's murderer and fearlessly stabbed his sword through its armor and into its stone of a heart. Its lifeless body fell to the ground, dead, but Link didn't stop. He followed the minion's body to the ground and stabbed it three additional times. He knew he didn't need to do that but he couldn't stand those who harmed animals. Slowly he stood again and sheathed his sword. The young hero couldn't bring himself to look at the dead animal, but he said a quick prayer for the pore thing and started running for the lake.

Link forced himself to forget about the horse and focus on the threat that still lingered. When he caught sight of the top of the house on the shore of the lake he slowed to a walk. He stopped to catch his breath, clean off his sword, and take a last minute to focus up. When he felt ready, he walked the short distance left.

What he saw did not surprise him, much.

His eyes lay upon the house that had always been there looking over Lake Hylia's waters. It was the most eye-drawing thing, because it was in flames. Link knew he couldn't do anything to cease the fire, he only hoped that the man living inside had gotten out before ending up like the horse.

Not far to the left of the house, standing with his back to Link, stood the black robed Tomi. Link took one cautious step after another approaching Tomi's darkness. He kept a safe distance away before stopping and staring at the back of his enemy's black hood. There he waited.

After a few moments he slowly turned around and directed his glowing eyes at the young warrior. Dark Tomi was identical to his light, except Link could easily feel the evil and malice rolling off of him; he was definitely not the Tomi he knew from the beginning.

"How sweet," The darkness said. "come to save your little girlfriend?" Dark Tomi smirked. Link was not shaken by his words; he wouldn't show emotion to this him.

Link was silent as he got into a defensive position. Dark Tomi laughed full-heartedly. "Ahh, right to business." Dark Tomi said condescendingly. The Black Wizard pulled back his robe slightly, grabbed the handle of his sword, and slowly pulled it out of the scabbard. Light Tomi had been right; the sword looked as if it were alive. Veins ran over the jet black blade and the intestinal-looking handle. It appeared as if the weapon gave off a black aura that could have been mistaken for heat waves from the fire. Before Link could catch more detail on the sword Dark Tomi leapt into battle.

Link was caught off guard but he quickly go it back. Duels with Light Tomi gave Link an impression that he and his darkness were near the same strength and skill, regardless of what Light Tomi had told him, but Link now realized he should've listened more intently. Dark Tomi's sword style was confusing; he effortlessly spun his wrist in circles this way and that causing the blade to appear as a blur in one area one moment and in another the next. The style was evidently used to get the opponent to swing for something that wasn't there and find an opening to attacks or guard. Here and there Link missed the Dark Tomi's blade and was cut on his arm or leg. Eventually he realized that he needed have pure defense if he wanted to get through then strike when the chance was right, just like his opponent.

The two began to sword dance back and forth both clanging their blades together always in defensive manners looking for chances to attack. Mistakably Link became hypnotized by the continuous circular movements of Dark Tomi's blade. Finally Link accidentally didn't put enough force into his block and his sword was knocked from his hand. Before he knew it he was flown back by a force that could have only been a spell. But how did he do that?

Link quickly got to his feet and looked at Dark Tomi with a quizzical look. "What? Didn't my light tell you? I can control spells without needing the command word. I control the magic now, it doesn't control me!" Dark Tomi explained. Without a second of a break the wizard shot lightning from his finger tips that flew straight for Link. Link couldn't move fast enough to dodge; he could only close his eyes and put his hands up in front of his face and wait for the electrocuting pain. But he felt nothing.

Link opened his eyes and looked up. There on the back of his hand, shining as bright as it did during that fateful date he fought Ganondorf was the Triforce of Courage. Link looked beyond his hands and saw a bubble had appeared around him, it was absorbing the lightning as if it was hardly making an impact. Why couldn't he use that ability before? _Hmph, another mystery of the Triforce, _Link thought as he saw Dark Tomi cease his lightshow. He actually looked impressed, from what Link could see of his face.

"Astonishing. You have the power of one of the most powerful Battle Mages. But your progress is slow and you know not of the true power you could command. If only you had a proper…teacher." Dark Tomi said, putting a thoughtful emphasize on his last word. "You have seen the power of my lightside, boy, and I assure you that I am far stronger than he will even be, or was, hm?" Dark Tomi chuckled. Link got the idea that somehow Tomi's darkness knew that he had killed his light. "How did it feel? Striking down a claimed ally, killing the embodiment of a friend, showing no mercy to Tomi when he was helplessly bleeding on the ground after your first bout, repeatedly stabbing one of my skeletal corpses even though it was already dead. How did it feel?" Dark Tomi asked him and looked as if he really was curious about the answer Link would give.

Link could only stand there. He didn't want to say that all those times were wrong or unnecessary because something in him told him that he liked it. Every time he killed something he felt a little bit of a rush as if he were invincible, but always before that feeling could immerse too far his righteousness kicked in and made him see it as a self defense situation only. He always thought that he was doing the right thing. But what if he wasn't?

"Such actions show a strong darkness, Link." Dark Tomi claimed. "You can feel those feelings any time you want if you come with me. I can show ways in how to become more powerful, kill easier. Do this and I will give you whatever you want." Link's mind was racing. All of this sounded like the best off he had ever heard, but a small voice in his head told him that he knew better than this. It was the voice that he had followed since the day he was born. "Zelda would want you to do this."

What? What did he say? Zelda? That's who he was fighting for, the one he was here to protect. He knew Zelda better than anyone else and he knew that she wouldn't want him to do this. Zelda was his light, his guide through this darkening tunnel Dark Tomi had put him in.

Link looked up at Dark Tomi. "There are two things you should know." Link said. Dark Tomi cocked his head slightly.

"What is that?" The Black Wizard asked. Link smiled.

"You requesting me to join you only shows me that you have seen my power and you are scarred of it. You want me to be on your side so that you don't have to go against me. I know that you wouldn't share your power with anyone, so why would you teach me? There is no reason." Link explained, becoming more confident with every word. Dark Tomi slowly straightened his head and looked at Link with a blank stare. "Secondly, I love Zelda more than anything, so do you really think that I think Zelda would approve and go along with that choice? You better get your persuasion techniques straight. But you won't have time, because I'm going to kill you before you get a chance." Link no longer felt the pulling desire to learn how to become more powerful. He could hear the voice inside him praise him for making the right choice loud and clear. Dark Tomi remained as he was, with such a blank expression it looked as if he wasn't even breathing.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Link watched as Dark Tomi raised his right hand, bending at the elbow, and put it even with his eyes. He held it there for a moment and then loudly snapped his fingers.

In the blink of an eye five skeleton minions appeared around Link springing up from the ground as if they had been hiding there for a trap all this time. Link noticed that he didn't have his sword anymore. He saw it just beyond the circle of Dark Tomi's servants. There was no way he could reach it without getting killed first. Everything seemed bleak, how could he fight without a sword? He quietly cursed himself for not grabbing other weapons before he left the castle. He cursed himself for dropping his sword, cursed himself for not being strong enough, not smart enough. He cursed himself for killing Tomi, the one person who could help him in this position.

Wait. Tomi…that was it.

"You should have given into me; your death would have been less painful. Hmph. You're just like your precious Zelda." Dark Tomi said while shaking his head. Link looked up abruptly with hearing Zelda's name. How dare this heathen even think her name. Link no longer felt any fear, he was confident. He knew he could win, all because of one thing.

Dark Tomi moved his hand in a gesture that meant "Get him" and all at once his minions slowly took steps towards him with weapons in hand.

Link knew this was his opportunity; he had to do it now or never. He shot his hand out as if telling them to stop. Shockingly, two of them hesitated slightly. Link didn't notice though, he was too focused. All he had to do was say the command.

"Daiu-Cogein!" The Chosen of Courage cried. Link only had a split second to see but in that time he saw a flicker of fear appear on Dark Tomi's face. Link never saw what happened while he was blinded by the light surrounding him but he never felt fear. He had never been this sure of victory in his life. He felt something in his stomach, as if he were missing and organ of some sort. Suddenly he felt as if something was be pulled out of his abdomen or pushing out from the inside. It grew so intense that it became painful, but before it got too harsh it had vanished.

Slowly the lights began to fade. He could see the glistening water of the lake, the green grass that blew in the wind ever so gently, the black robe of Dark Tomi, and…something else. When he looked at Dark Tomi's eyes, even through the luminousness, he could see a mixture of surprise and powerful anger. Link turned to where he was looking at and couldn't help but be surprised as well. But Link wasn't angry, his spirits rose higher than they were before. Because standing next to him on the shores of Lake Hylia was Tomi, the last White Wizard.

Light Tomi looked directly at his darkness. "Surprised to see me?" he asked coolly. Link then noticed that the circle of Dark Tomi's minions was gone, not a sign of the armored beasts was left. Dark Tomi's surprise had disappeared; all that was left was rage.

"Why won't you just die?" Dark Tomi spat. His lightside smiled.

"You first." He replied.

End of Part 8


	9. Chapter 9: Loss of One Gained

Part 9 Loss of One Gained

The Daiu-Cogein spell. It is known among wizards as the "Coward's way out." But in truth, those who used it were always in one of two situations, either they were in severe danger, or they truly were a coward and they did not feel courageous enough to use their own strength in battle.

The Daiu-Cogein was an awakening enchantment that could only be used under certain circumstances. For example, what had happened to Link in Hyrule Castle.

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"When you had subtly placed your curse in Link's body and caused him to be confused and turn against me, you left your essence within his life energy. Of course you knew this, you would have to, because that is the way curses work. I must say that either you became foolishly bold or so overconfident that your own reason was clouded and your judgments murky." Light Tomi stated confidently to his darkness. He crossed his arms, showing that he wasn't feeling concerned with the situations surrounding them. He was so surprisingly calm that Dark Tomi's eyebrow twitched with confusion slightly. But Link was confused. How had this happened? He knew that he had killed Light Tomi; he witnessed it, not even an hour ago. Yet he was standing right beside him, without a scratch on him. Link dared to ask a question while this lull in battle still remained.

"How did this happen? I don't understand." Link turned to his friend and asked. The White Wizard didn't look back at him, but he answered all the same.

"The Daiu-Cogein is a spell that's in a magic class all its own. It can only be used once in a magic-user's life. When it has been cast, the spell revives an essence within the caster's body to such a degree that it takes a living, human form." Light Tomi nodded his head in the direction of his darkness. "When you and I were fighting in the castle I had sensed his mark within you. With that spell you had awoken it."

"But then why are _you_ standing here and not your darkness? If it was _his_ mark why have you, the light, appeared?" Link asked, he was still keeping an eye on Dark Tomi just in case he took this chance to strike. But he did no such thing; maybe we wanted to hear this too.

Light Tomi continued with a smile. "Because of you. When I looked in you life force to search for the curse he had placed on you I noticed how much light was present in your energy. I knew that much light would be able to cure the darkness in that mark and thus create…me." Light Tomi looked down at the young swordsman. "You may have killed me, but you also saved me. You brought me back, and I promise that I will make it up to you." Light Tomi looked back to his darkness. "Well, enough of this then." He quickly drew his sword, spun it in his hand once, and stood in his normal defensive stance. Dark Tomi did the same, seeming to have gotten the satisfaction he needed from listening to his light's explanation.

Link watched them, not knowing what else to do since he no longer held his sword. Luckily Light Tomi took care of it for him, by leaping into battle. He swung with a light strike, in order to easily move to a heavy strike in another area. His darkness blocked both strikes and added of few of his own. Light Tomi parried and struck when he found chances, usually being blocked by his opponent.

Link didn't pay attention though; he took his opportunity and ran towards his dropped weapon. He swiftly grasped the hilt and looked back. What he saw astounded him.

Light Tomi was a blur. He was moving so swiftly and fluidly with his blade that he made everything seem as if it was moving much slower than it had before. Link had never seen Tomi move that quickly before. How had he gotten that skill in such a small amount of time? His darkness was having difficulty keeping up with his adversary's barrage of attacks. Link thought it impossible, he remembered Light Tomi telling him that he was not strong enough to fight his darkness on his own, but there he stood single-handedly slashing away with many of his techniques successfully creating new wounds upon his black robed double.

It wasn't long before he pushed Dark Tomi back to the ledge over the lake. But before Light Tomi could drive him farther his darkness cast one of his wordless spells that pushed him back a few feet. Even before Light Tomi got his footing back Link saw him thrust his left arm with his palm forward. Link didn't know what he was doing until he saw Dark Tomi flying over the edge and down toward the water. Link realized that Tomi had just cast a spell in his mind, just like his dark side could. It was yet another ability that he had not had before.

Light Tomi managed to get his two feet balanced again before looking back at Link. He smirked and said, "You awoke_ his _mark,thus I was granted _his_ power that he has been besting me with for so long." His smirk changed to a full smile and he nodded towards the edge where Dark Tomi had just fallen. "Shall we go?" Link nodded once and ran towards the ledge with Tomi at his side. But a thought came to him, how were they going to fight his darkness in water?

Before Link could think to hard on the matter he saw something that knocked the thought out of his head. When they reached the edge overlooking the lake they looked down and saw Dark Tomi…standing on the water. The first thought that crossed Link's mind was, _"How are supposed to fight him like that?"_ until he remembered, _"Oh yeah, magic." _

Without a word Tomi waved his hand over the area between Link and him. In an instant their legs were illuminating with a strange rippling energy. Tomi quickly jumped over the ledge, but instead of dropping into the lake he was able to place his feet on water's surface. Link got the idea and followed suit. He leapt off and landed, not as gracefully as Tomi, on the liquid surface. They both looked up at the Black Wizard and stood with their swords at the ready. It was not two on one, Link knew without a doubt that they would defeat him, but something still disturbed him. It was the blank look that still remained on Dark Tomi's face. It worried him, vaguely. However he couldn't help but wonder if the man standing in front of them knew something they didn't. _"If he's planning anything now we'll be able to stop it before it begins."_ Link thought surely.

At once the two light bearers leapt for their foe. Link struck first, then Tomi, then Link again, each of them continuously pummeling there swords forward, sideways, and back. They refused to give him a chance. This would be the final battle, this would be the day that Dark Tomi would die and Light Tomi would be able to live free of worry.

Dark Tomi was having more difficulty flourishing his sword fast enough to keep up with his opponents, but he never gave in. Without warning he jumped back, sheathed his sword, and lifted his right hand over the water in front of him. A sphere of Hylian water rose up from the lake and fired towards the two crusaders. The ball was as large as a globe and Light Tomi had barely enough time to jump to the side, out of the way. But Link got the full force and was blasted back a few feet, soaking wet. The sudden pressure of the water on Link's chest stung and he tried to stand up but stumbled a bit before getting steady.

Dark Tomi summoned another sphere and fired it this time at his light. Light Tomi was prepared this time and instead of dodging he produced lightning from his finger tips and shot the voltage straight at the projectile. Luckily, the water ball had not gotten far enough from Dark Tomi and when the lightning came in contact with the water the bolts also connected with his black robes, electrocuting him. It was the first time Light Tomi had heard his darkness scream in agony. But it didn't last long before he cast another spell that pushed himself so far back that he landed on the island with the Triforce symbol platform. He had gotten out of range from the lightning, but he was still feeling the after shocks.

Light Tomi looked back at Link and saw him running towards the island, he did the same, but in place of running there he used another enchantment on his legs to make him jump all the way there. Before he got out of range of Link he did the same for him too. The duo landed on the stone platform, whirled around, and looked at there pained enemy with swords, yet again, at the ready.

Dark Tomi snarled with hatred at the two light followers. He was losing, and he knew it. He had to do something, and something came to mind. The Black Wizard looked at the Chosen of Courage and gave a small smirk. "It's too bad that ever strike you harm me with you're also harming Zelda." Link's reaction was just what he wanted, his eyes widened and his sword hand weakened a bit.

"What did you say?" Link said, not as confidently as he would have liked. Dark Tomi looked at him more intently, standing up straighter.

"Tell me, can you feel her anymore?" Dark Tomi asked smirking even broader.

"No! Don't listen to him; he's trying to shake you down!" Light Tomi warned. But Link ignored him; he immediately opened his senses and searched for Zelda's energy. It didn't take him long to find her, but where he felt her made not sense to him, and yet he understood it to such a point that it made his heart stop with horror. His bond connection to Zelda told him that he was looking at her, right now. But standing in front of him was Dark Tomi.

The Black Wizard saw the change of emotion on the boy's face and he knew that Link knew. "While you were dilly-dallying at the castle fighting him," He turned his head sharply towards his light. "I absorbed her energy. Her body, power, and soul are mine now. Look." Dark Tomi raised the back of his right hand so that Link could see and the look of fear on his face made him smile. On the back of Dark Tomi's right hand shown the Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom.

Link was at a loss of words. His entire body was numb and he could hold his sword any longer. It dropped to the platform below him with a clang. He could feel Light Tomi grow tense but he didn't care. The one he loved was gone. The one girl he had ever had such care and desire for was lost in the oblivion of this dark believer's soul. Zelda was lost, and thus, he was lost.

"No." Link whispered. "Show her to me." He said it quietly but all three of them could hear it. When Dark Tomi didn't move Link said it louder, but still with the lack of force. "Show her to me."

Dark Tomi smiled wider and said, "Of course." His black robe began to give off a dark aura. It engulfed him; he became so dark that not even the glows of his eyes were seen. But after a few moments the aura lifted off of the wizard and formed itself into a tight sphere. The sphere grew slowly and continued to enlarge until it was the shape of a body. Finally the cloud of black faded away and standing behind it was Zelda. She no longer had her nightgown on, she wore a white dress with elegant streaks of red here and there. Her hair was let down to its full length and it reached down to the small of her back, glistening in the new day sun.

Link, at first, had trouble getting the words out of his mouth. But when he got them out he said, "Zelda…are you alright? Come here. Please." Zelda looked at him and narrowed her eyes. She then looked up at Dark Tomi.

"Who is he?" Zelda asked. Link felt his heart break. She had been put under his control and now she couldn't remember him.

"The enemy I told you about. Will you help me with this?" Dark Tomi asked in a voice that was disgustingly sweet.

"Of course." Zelda said with such desire that it seemed like it was her dream to do so. What she did next broke Link's heart even more, if it were at all possible. Zelda reached up behind Dark Tomi's head and brought his lips crashing on her's. He was kissing the lips that Link had kissed not two hours ago. Link's mind when blank, his body not longer could keep itself up and he collapsed onto his knees.

Dark Tomi broke the kiss and looked at Link, then to his light who was still staring at him with a furious glare. "One down, one to go." He then turned to Zelda and asked, "Which one do you want?"

Zelda looked at Link who was barely able to hear the conversation going on in front of him. She pointed at him and declared, "This one, the one in green."

Dark Link smiled and lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, "Then do me a favor, and kill him."

End of Part 9


	10. Chapter 10: Karusemaja maré toedai

Part 10 Karu-semaja maré toedai

Dark Tomi looked up at his light, he was looking back at him unflinching. The darkness and light would fight one on one, since Link was incapable of fighting at this point and Zelda had agreed to take care of him anyway. Both wizards had there swords drawn, ready to slash or block if needed. Before any skirmish started however, Dark Tomi whispered one last thing to Zelda, "Make me proud, my love." Zelda smiled at him and then took a step forward towards the emotionally paralyzed Link.

When Light Tomi saw Zelda move he struck. He leapt for his darkness and they began there battle once again. Rage burned within Light Tomi more than it ever had in any of his other bouts with his darkness. The Black Wizard had taken control of the Princess of Hyrule, he made it so Link lost the will to fight, he had killed the woman he loved, killed his fellow wizards, harmed countless innocents, and now this was going to be the one on one battle that he knew he could win. He now contained the power of his darkness along with his own. His power bested that of his darkness and both of them knew it. That was why Dark Tomi tried something different.

Both swordsmen were spinning and attacking with such force and speed that both appeared as black and white clouds with no fleshy form. Their blades were moving so quickly that the momentum disturbed the water and created waves rippling every which way around the yin-yang colored duo. Magic was running up and down the weapons, causing sparks to fly off and fade away. Both could feel wind being generated from the fan like movements they were maneuvering to change from one attack to another. But through it all neither let up in strength, neither changed expression, and not a drop of sweat was shed.

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After she saw Dark Tomi jump away into their fight Zelda made her way up to Link. The boy was still on his knees but he had become more aware of his surroundings. He looked up at the one he loved, not knowing what exactly she was going to do. Zelda was a sage, but he had never seen her use her magic in a battle nor seen her use a weapon, which she had none. If he had heard right she said that she would "Take care of him" so how was she going to do it?

Zelda stood over him, looking down into his eyes. Slowly she lifted her right arm and placed her palm a few inches away from his face. He could see nothing but the tan of her skin, until he saw something that looked like fire, black fire. Link remembered the horse being burned with black fire; it came from one of Dark Tomi's skeletal minions. That meant that Dark Tomi had given Zelda this power and this was what he was going to have to fight against.

Link knew that this fire was meant to harm him and so he let his instincts take over. He grabbed him sword and rolled to his right. Just in time to see the black flames scorch the ground he had been kneeling on. He quickly stood up and faced Zelda.

Zelda turned to him with a glare. "Stay still!" She cried. Once again flames engulfed her hand and she threw the fire ball at his head. Link used his sword this time and slashed through the fire. As he had thought, it sliced through the flames and spread them out around the area instead of landing on him. He knew how to avoid Zelda's attacks. But he still had a problem.

How was he supposed to _fight_ her?

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Swing, miss, block, block, attack, duck, attack, over and over the battle went, repeated, and continued. Light Tomi was now beginning to form questions in his mind, had he suddenly gotten weaker or had his darkness gotten stronger? The thought worried him regardless of the answer. Nonetheless he realized that swords no longer were the way to finish this battle. The two of them had been brought up as wizards, he though they should end the battle as wizards, with magic.

Light Tomi parried two more times and back flipped away. He was standing under the dousing flame of the now burned down house. He formed an idea. He sheathed his sword and raised his hand over his head. The flames that were not too far above him suddenly were summoned to his sides. Slowly but surely the flames took the forms of two human forms made up solely of fire.

Dark Tomi watched as his light summoned flame minions, so he got an idea of his own. He sheathed his own demonic sword and raised his hands over the water surrounding him. Thrusting his arms upward two minions made of water rose from the lakes depths.

The two wizards charged their followers forward, each of them clashed in an elemental struggle. The chill of water and heat of fire met and little by little defused each other. Pillars of steam hovered above them and at last they no longer stood.

Dark Tomi smiled to himself. He had canceled out what would have been a powerful attack if his light had succeeded. He was right to finally use the power of Zelda's Triforce, it was making him even more powerful. He looked over to where his light was standing. But…where was he? Dark Tomi looked left and right and no longer spotted his light opposite.

Without warning an explosion erupted from the ruins of the old lake side house. Out of the old embers rose a huge creature that has made up of the same flames that burned the house down. It was immense in size, possibly twenty feet high and its eyes shown a bright golden light. Suddenly it leapt for Dark Tomi. The Black Wizard knew that he would be crushed if he didn't move, but he didn't budge. He looked down and saw his legs covered in white vapor. He was locked in place and he couldn't think of a spell quick enough to stop the giant coming for him.

As the fire beast came closer Dark Tomi could only react by putting up his hands in defense. When beat finally came in contact with something he felt no pain. He looked up and saw that a barrier had risen up out of no where. He was perplexed for a minute until he saw that on the back of his right hand was the Triforce of Wisdom. He smirked to himself; this was the same barrier that Link had used before. He looked beyond the shield and saw the flames of the giant and been doused. Light Tomi was still no where in sight.

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Zelda shot three more fire missiles at Link's chest. One by one he slashed his sword through them, shattering the hope of the attack landing upon him. Link put his sword at his side, ready to strike at anymore incoming fire.

He decided that he couldn't hurt Zelda, even if she was under Dark Tomi's control. She was still the Zelda he had fallen in love with. That meant he had to put her in a situation in which she couldn't be a threat.

By now Zelda realized that she wouldn't be able to get through his defenses just by fireballs. Zelda surrounded both her hands in flames again and brought them to the ground. Link watched as the grass caught fire and began spreading, right towards him. Link knew that he wouldn't be able to block something that was on the ground itself, so he did the first thing that came to mind.

Link jumped as far as he could towards the water. Luckily he got there in one leap. He knew that the flames wouldn't be able to get to him on water. But as he was turning around he had forgotten about where Zelda was and that mistake got him a direct hit in the chest with a fireball. His pectoral muscles screamed with pain but Link only grunted. Before he knew what was happening he was falling back, and through the water. Somehow the spell that had been cast on his feet did not stop his entire body from falling.

The water eased the pain of the burn but the salt mixing into the wound made it sting a slight bit more. Link looked down at his legs and saw that the spell had stopped functioning. He cursed himself for allowing himself to get hit, now he couldn't stand on the water, thus he was vulnerable to Zelda's fire attacks.

But before he could think of a plan he felt himself being risen up by some force. Suddenly he was once again standing atop the lake's surface. Link looked to his side and saw Light Tomi; he acknowledged him with a nod and turned once again to where Zelda had been standing before. He found that she was also standing on the water and was walking towards him. In the corner of his eye he saw Light Tomi run off again towards his darkness. But as he watched Zelda approach him he heard Tomi's voice inside his head. He was shocked at first, but then he remembered that Tomi could contact minds and he listened to what he was saying.

_"Link, you can't hold back. You have to attack her. I know that you feel resistant to doing so but if we are to win here today you must put your relationship with her aside and think of her as one of his other minions." _Light Tomi stated.

_"I…I can't. I love her, please, how else is there to stopping this? Just tell me a way so that I can make it so she isn't dangerous anymore." _Link pleaded in his mind back to him. He realized that he may have been doing a cowardly thing by not attacking, but he couldn't bring himself to bring harm to her. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. He waited for Tomi's response to him. Zelda was almost on him.

_"Fine, I will tell you. By fighting with me during the past day you have heard me cast many spells. You have also cast a spell of you own, the Daiu-Cogein, yes? Do you know what that means Link?" _Light Tomi paused for a moment. _"You have magical abilities of your own, you can use the same spells as my darkness and I. Use any spell you wish, just be aware that ever spell takes a toll on your energy. Be careful. Good luck."_

That was it; he would use magic against her. He knew that he could use magic, he just never thought that he could use wizards's magic. He had heard and seen many spells be used in the past day. He knew one spell that would be able to hold her captive, because it once did it to him.

Zelda was a few feet from Link before stopping in front of him. Link rapidly thrust his arm forward and shouted, "Mititjen!" White vapor shot out of his hand and came in contact with Zelda's body. She was shot back on the nonexistent solid surface of water and was sprawled out like a star. Link had her pinned.

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Dark Tomi was looking rapidly from side to side, up and down, every direction he could think of. When his eyes came to lie on the small island with the Triforce platform he saw that it was now in black flames. He snorted, "I can see that we're all fond of fire today." A bit to the left of the island he saw Link and Zelda, and finally his light running towards him.

Dark Tomi reacted by shooting a bolt of lightning at him. Light Tomi simply waved his hand, deflecting it away. He then stretched his arms out wide and raised them. The water under him began to rise with his arms. Soon he was standing atop a wave that was drifting towards the Black Wizard.

Dark Tomi quickly brought his hands together and flexed them into what look like claws, he then separated them in a harsh manner that made him look as if he were tearing something invisible in the air. Before his eyes he saw the wave his light had created shatter into thousands of small molecules of water.

By the time the wave disappeared Light Tomi was almost directly above his darkness, as he fell back down towards the water he drew his sword in midair and brought it crashing down upon his darkness. But while he was falling he saw his darkness draw his own sword and get ready for an overhead attack. The two swords came crashing together yet again.

Before the two could begin another sword battle Light Tomi back flipped away again shot a bolt of lightning at his darkness. Dark Tomi had barely enough time to bring his sword up and slash through the lightning that fired towards him. The electricity defused when it made contact with the sword. The two swordsmen continued firing at each other with one spell after another, usually using the environment around them, sometimes using their own strength. Spell after spell the battle continued and little by little their strength began to wilt.

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Zelda struggled to get free from the spell Link had put her in. Link knew that this was a chance he was waiting for in order to rejoin Tomi in his battle. But before he went running towards them he walked over to Zelda and looked down at her. She looked up at him with first disgust and then with fear.

"You have to know Zelda, because I think that some part of the real you can still hear me. I still love you. I don't blame you for what Tomi's darkness has done to you. I promise that I will bring you back to you normal self." Link told her while looking deep into her eyes. He meant every word he said.

Feeling satisfied with what he had told her he turned back to where Tomi had run off to and he ran in that direction too.

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The two wizards were shooting every spell that they could think of. Projectiles of energy were going this way and that, sometimes meeting with each other only to cancel each other out.

Finally, it happened.

Light Tomi has hit on his right shoulder then once again on his right thigh. He stopped firing spells; those two hits stunned the right side of his body. He collapsed to the ground, unable to move properly. He saw his darkness walk over to him, he had his sword drawn. He watched as the Black Wizard pointed his sword down and said with a smile, "This time, I'll make sure you die."

Without warning Dark Tomi was tackled from the side. Because of the surprise attack he was knocked over with his sword still in his right hand. He looked up to see who had interrupted his near murder.

Link was protectively standing over Light Tomi. The White Wizard waved his hand over the right side of his body, healing himself of his paralysis.

Both wizards stood up once they had recovered from their surprise attacks. Dark Tomi looked back at where Zelda was pinned down. He snarled and cursed her under his breath. Light Tomi was happy that Link hadn't heard what he had said because most likely he would have gone off on another frenzy. He couldn't have Link going anywhere now; he needed him here so that he could do a maneuver he hadn't had the chance to use before. All of them were getting more and more exhausted and this was the perfect opportunity to work his magic.

_"Link." _Light Tomi said within Link's mind. _"I need your aid with this next spell. When I say the command words, I will say them out loud so you will hear them, I need you to open all of your senses and allow yourself to be open to the feelings you feel. This spell may be intense and dangerous for someone that is not adept at magic, but this needs to be done. I cannot explain to you what it does now, just please agree to this."_

_"I do." _Link stated in his mind. Whatever idea that Tomi had at this point would be good. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to fight.

Light Tomi watched his darkness and vice versa. The two wizards were trying to read what the other would do next. But regardless of what the darkness did, nothing prepared him for what happened next.

"Karu-semaja maré!" Light Tomi shouted. He quickly grabbed Link by the arm of his tunic and cried, "Toedai!" Link opened himself up for the spell and almost immediately he saw why he was told to do so.

Link lost the sight of the world around him. All there was, was dark…or was it light? There was such a confusing feeling in his body that he couldn't manage his eyes to work properly. It felt as if he was undergoing the Daiu-Cogein spell again. He felt something reach into his body and pull out. Then everything in his body hurt, it was a pain that felt similar to every bone in his body breaking. He felt his skin tear apart, if he had skin anymore. Everything was so confusing and wrong that he felt as if he were dieing and yet waking up from the dead. Then finally after he had undergone the worst, Link fell into bliss. He could feel every part of his body again, he felt more powerful, more whole that he had before. This was what he and Tomi needed in order to defeat Dark Tomi

Then finally, the warrior opened his eyes.

He was met with the dark stare of confusion and fear, it was coming from the Black Wizard. He felt different, as if he were in a new body. He looked down into the water and saw his reflection. Staring back at him in the shaky mirror image were two glowing eyes. But that wasn't all; he saw that his tunic had become as white as Light Tomi's robe. Also, his hat had been replaced by the hood of a white robe that hung around his shoulders. It was Tomi's robe.

Link couldn't make sense of this. He looked over to where Light Tomi had been standing…and saw no one. Link didn't understand, until he finally put two and two together. He had fused body, power, and mind with his wizard friend. They were one. The two light bearers who had been fighting this relentless battle had finally opened up to become this all powerful warrior.

He looked down to his belt to see two swords, Tomi's on the left and Link's on the right. He smiled to himself, _"This is going to be sweet."_

Link…or Tomi…or Link and Tomi looked up at their stunned enemy. In a flash both swords were drawn, Tomi's in right hand and Link's in left, and he got into his dual wielding stance. With Link's sword near his right hip and Tomi's sword behind his head.

This was the Final Battle.

End of Part 10


	11. Chapter 11: The Last

Part 11 The Last

"How?" Dark Tomi asked incredulously. "What is…?" His mouth was struggling to form words. "I don't know that spell." The white warrior standing in front of him grinned, but he was too skeptical to care.

"You thought that I hadn't learned anything while I was chasing you, but you were wrong. Granted, I didn't learn much, but you'll find it was enough." Link felt his mouth moving but he didn't hear his voice speaking, it was Tomi's. It had to be, because Link didn't know what he was talking about. "It is a unity spell that binds the beings of two wizards. The Karu-semaja is a forbidden technique only allowed to be used by those of our highest order."

"Link is not a wizard! You and I are the last." Dark Tomi stated.

"Not true, Link is a wizard. You said it yourself." Light Tomi avowed.

"What? I would never say anything as preposterous as that!" The Black Wizard's confusion was dissipating and anger was setting in.

"You did." This time is was Link who spoke. "You told me I had the power of one of the most powerful Battle Mages." He said matter-of-factly.

"You fool, the source of your power is the Triforce. That is the only thing that is keeping you standing." Tomi's darkness declared.

"I could say the same about you. The power you run on now is a false one that doesn't belong to you." Link said confidently. "You steal the power of a teenage girl and now depend on it to survive."

Dark Tomi fumed, with his fists clenched and baring his teeth in irritation. Then to further his frustration he heard the one in front of him laughing. He heard his light speak.

"Now, now, have you forgotten the lessons of our old masters? They always said that those who were angry were, in reality, truly frightened. I would say that that's quite true, wouldn't you?" Light Tomi cocked their head slightly.

"Enough!" Without warning Dark Tomi leapt at his enemy and struck. They parried it with ease and countered with a few attacks of their own, each one hitting their mark on the Black Wizards chest, slicing his robe open. The wizard stumbled backwards from the impact, but they didn't take a break as they leapt for Dark Tomi and continued pummeling him with quick and heavy strikes. Slicing multiple cuts across the wizard's limbs and chest, they blasted him back again by kicking him in the stomach. Dark Tomi landed on his back a few feet away, injuries bleeding freely. He felt something stuck in his throat and began coughing heavily. He moved onto his side and saw drops of blood falling into the water from his mouth. It wasn't much, but it was there. His energy was fading.

Link pointed one of his swords at the dark being and heard Tomi's voice cast a spell in his head. Dark Tomi was lifted into the air by the spell's energy and could only helplessly drift there. Link jumped into the air and continued the beating in midair. The Black Wizard could hardly move. Every attempt at blocking or dodging an incoming attack was in vain. He was losing and he knew it. He felt the limitations of his energy coming to an end. Link could sense this but he never stopped, he couldn't stop, this battle had to be over. This man had to be dead.

Link slashed away more and more of his enemy's flesh and with every strike more blood was sprayed upon his white tunic. The water beneath them had taken a shade of crimson with the dropping blood. Pieces of black fabric fell and landed to float calmly on the surface. It was as if Dark Tomi had been wearing a red outfit underneath his black robe, for under every opening in the clothing there was a bloodied mark to cover the proper color of his skin.

Link felt his enemy's life beginning to slip. He wanted to end this, but as he planned the finishing move he heard Tomi's voice speak to him, "_Wait, do not kill him immediately. I want him to suffer, just like he did to Aliya." _

Link complied. Instead of slashing through Dark Tomi's heart he stabbed Light Tomi's sword into his abdomen. He heard the Black Wizard scream with agony but he didn't make a motion to remove the weapon. Link felt Tomi release the spell and he watched as the darkness fell back to the lake's invisible surface. Link followed suit and began to glide back down. As he watched Dark Tomi come closer to the water he noticed that the spell around the wizard's feet that allowed him to stand atop the water had vanished. Light Tomi must have noticed this too and quickly cast the spell back on his darkness' feet. Link and Tomi didn't want him to drown in the lake's depths; they wanted him on the surface, for them to see his final moments.

The spell appeared a mere second before Dark Tomi could have landed in the lake. His body collided with the invisible ground and Link could hear a grunt escape the dark one's lips. Link himself landed on the water a moment later. He looked down at Dark Tomi with no emotion. They walked over to his side and looked down into his glowing eyes, which were beginning to fade. In the corner of his eye he saw the sword still sticking out of the Black Wizard's stomach, but he still didn't remove it.

"I am the reason you exist, we both are. I felt it was my duty to kill you, and now I have fulfilled that duty." Tomi declared through their lips. Dark Tomi made a feeble attempt at looking at them.

"Not…yet." He whispered. Before Link and Tomi could fully register what he had said, he was gone. The body that once lay there somehow disappeared.

"Teleportation." Tomi said, with a hint of urgency in his voice. Before Link could ask what he had meant Tomi answered. Tomi took full control of their body and spun it around to face where Zelda had been pinned down. To Link's horror he saw that Zelda was no longer trapped by the spell he had cast. Instead she was being held in Dark Tomi's arms, with a sword held against her throat. Link was also surprised to see that she was unconscious. "_He absorbed her energy back into him, now he has a bit more of the strength than he used to have. It's not much, but it is enough for him to stand."_ Link heard Tomi's voice in his head.

Dark Tomi was still having difficulty breathing but he was back to standing at his full height. "You should have killed me." The Black Wizard said simply. "Diffuse, now!" Link wasn't surprised that he began barking orders. Dark Tomi was trying to take control of the situation again.

_"Tomi?"_ Link asked in his mind.

_"I have a plan." _Tomi stated. He quickly told Link his idea and he felt Link agree.

_"Can it do that?" _Link asked.

_"It's been with me since I went through the separation, it contains my essence and energy." _Tomi explained

_"Xaldden-shei, right?" _Link questioned

"_Yes."_ Tomi answered.

"Do it, or she dies." Dark Tomi threatened. He watched the warrior standing there motionless. He wasn't sure if they would do it or not, but if they tried to do anything he knew he could slit Zelda's throat before they reached him.

The light warrior sheathed his remaining sword and placed his hand over his heart. "Kaumi." Their hand began to glow with a fluorescent light. "Shau-latu seika Link valun Tomi. Their adjoined body started to glow entirely. The light blinded the form they had taken so that Dark Tomi could no longer see the warrior's physical shape. Suddenly the large light split into two separate ones and the light began to fade. The lights took the forms of Tomi and Link, both were facing the Black Wizard.

"Now take your sword off your belt and throw it over here." Dark Tomi ordered to Link. With his eyes on Link he could barely see his light slightly wave his right hand at his side. Suddenly there was an enormous eruption of pain from Dark Tomi's abdomen. He looked down and saw Light Tomi's sword glowing with a similar light he had just seen a moment ago. The light was burning him from the inside. Light couldn't exist in his dark body, it wasn't allowed. It felt similar to being electrocuted from the inside. Unable to keep his stance the wizard let go of Zelda and his sword, which landed in the invisible surface next to its master, blade landing vertical in the water.

Link saw his chance. "Xaldden-shei!" The boy commanded. Dark Tomi didn't hear Link's voice over his own screaming. But it wouldn't have made a difference even if he had.

Link found himself suddenly standing behind Dark Tomi. It was a teleportation spell he was told to use, and now he saw why. Without hesitation Link drew his sword and stabbed it through the Black Wizard's heart.

The screaming cut short. Dark Tomi stood there for a moment, unmoving. But after a few moments of stunned paralysis he dropped to his knees, desperately grabbing the hilt of his sword that remained resting in the water, as if that would give him his strength back.

Dark Tomi lifted his head and made a last look at his light. Their eyes connected, and in that moment they both knew that they would never see each other again. The Black Wizard then fell onto his side, defeated…and dead.

For once in quite a while there was a sense of calm over Lake Hylia. The two light warriors did not speak, they didn't need to. Their struggles had finally come through and succeeded in the end.

Tomi watched the motionless body of his darkness. He couldn't take his eyes off it. He was somehow unable to understand that he was dead. He knew that this was what he had wanted and strived for, but he never thought about what he would do after it was done. What was his purpose now?

Before his eyes the body of his darkness began fading away, as if the sun had finally risen, chasing away the night and all else that was dark. The black robe swayed in the wind and vanished, along with his bloodstained body, and lastly his obscured face that continued to be hidden under his hood. The Black Wizard had gone completely from the world.

Tomi's thoughts were disturbed when he saw Link rush towards the immobile Zelda. She had fallen from Dark Tomi's grasp when he had been struck and now lay on her back, still unconscious. Tomi left Link to tend to the princess while he turned his own attention to the Triforce platform island that was still in flames. He silently doused the flames with a spell and looked at its charred surface. The once luscious grass was now black and the leafless tree had been burned down, but the platform with the Triforce emblem had not been damaged at all. Tomi cast another spell and revived the life that once inhabited the petit island. Slowly the grass grew back to its normal length and color. The tree was revived and stood as it always had, not granting much shade.

Tomi looked back at the lake house and sighed. He knew no one had died from the fire, but it still filled him with sadness. It was yet another reminder of how much pain his darkness had caused. Tomi got to work reconstructing the house.

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Link ran over to Zelda. She was alive, he could feel it. When he reached her he crouched down, grabbed her shoulders, and brought her to him in a tight embrace. He never wanted to relive having to fight her, seeing her being a dark advocate. Since Dark Tomi had been killed Link assumed the curse had been lifted. He was glad that she was back to normal.

Link felt her stir in his arms. He pulled away enough so that he could look at her better. He wanted to be the first thing that she saw when she woke up, to let her know that it was alright and the threat had been killed.

Zelda's eyes fluttered open and the first thing she focused on was the boy holding her. Immediately her eyes were filled with horror. Link saw this and was confused, but realized she must be a bit mystified.

"Zelda, it's alright, he's gone." Link told her soothingly. He brought her close to him again, but this time she resisted. She pushed herself away from him frantically and stood up. Her eyes began darting left and right, looking for an explanation Link didn't understand.

"Where is he?" Zelda screamed. It was so loud that it got the attention of Tomi who had moved closer to the lake house. Right when he heard her he ran towards them. Zelda looked over at Dark Tomi's sword and her eyes widened. "You…killed him." She whispered, barely audible to Link's ears. She then turned back to Link and glared at him with such hatred that he stood up. "You, you're the one. I'll kill you!" Link saw her form another black flame in her hand and pull it back, ready to throw. Link didn't have enough time to grab his sword in time to block it, before she threw it towards him. He thought he was going to get hit again by one of her assaults, but before it had made contact a blur of white appeared in front of him and the flame was flying away in another direction.

Tomi stood in front of the young swordsman with his hand outstretched. He had waved the flame away before it had a chance to be of use. Zelda looked at him, surprised. In another blur Tomi was suddenly standing behind her, he used the same spell Link had used to get behind his darkness. But instead of stabbing her like Link had done to his darkness, he grabbed her in a similar manner to the way he held her in Hyrule Castle. He wrapped one arm around her waist, trapping her arms, while the other arm covered her mouth.

Link watched as Zelda's eyes suddenly closed, back into comatose. He looked at Tomi and saw his eyes were closed as well, but he knew that the wizard was concentrating instead of unconscious.

"What's happened to her?" Link asked, trying not to seem demanding. He knew that being impatient wouldn't get him anywhere, so he tried his best to stay calm.

Tomi didn't open his eyes. "I'm using the same spell that I used on you when I found my darkness' mark within you. But what I'm seeing in her is much different than what I saw in you." The wizard explained.

"Different how?" Link asked, still managing to remain calm.

"In your life energy you contained much light, but with Zelda," Tomi told him, "All I see is darkness." Link's eyes widened.

"What? But that's not right. She's not like this, how can she be changed back?" Link questioned, allowing some of his franticness to show. Tomi didn't answer. Link could tell that he was thinking of something. "Tomi, if you have a plan tell it to me. Please!" Tomi still didn't look up.

"There…there is a way." Tomi said slowly.

"How?" Link was clenching his fist out of irritation with Tomi's hesitation.

Tomi finally looked up and stared straight into Link's eyes. "Link…you are a kind hearted young man, and one of the best swordsmen I've ever met. You're magic abilities make some of the wizards I once knew look childish. Through fighting with me and along side me you have learned many spells. There is a way to learn more if you ever wish to. The location of the old Wizards Academy is beyond Death Mountain, in a small town named Istok. There are many books there that can teach you many things, many that I do not know. If you ever are curious go there and learn about my order."

"Why are you telling me this? Is there something there to help with Zelda's condition?" Link asked.

Tomi chuckled. "I am glad that you decided to take my advice and tell Zelda how you feel. I will have at least two people who will remember me." Tomi's eyes became sorrowful.

"Tomi…what are you talking about? Why are you speaking like this?"

"I made a promise to you. I promised that I would pay you back for giving me my life again. This is how I repay you." Tomi told the Chosen of Courage.

Realization was beginning to hit Link's mind. "Tomi…"

"My friend…don't forget about me." Tomi began to glow like he always did when he was about to cast an advanced spell. A moment later, Zelda was glowing along with him. Tomi shut his eyes in concentration. The light surrounding them was growing continuously harsh and Link had to cover his eyes a little. Link could barely see it, but there were stands of energy radiating from the spot where they stood. Link could no longer see them. He hid his eyes behind his hands, not wanting to become blind. He was now just standing there waiting for something to occur, but nothing did.

A few moments passed until the warmth that the light had given off was gone. Link opened his eyes tentatively, not wanting to look into the insensitive light again. He soon opened them completely when he saw that the light was gone. In front of him stood Zelda and Tomi, just how they had been before. Link was about to ask what had happened, until he saw Tomi collapse on the water's surface. He heard a faint grunt from the wizard and realized that he must have been tired. That was expected, after fighting for so long with another wizard and then casting a spell as elegant as that he wasn't surprised Tomi needed rest.

Link looked over to Zelda, who also was threatening to fall over. Link quickly ran over and grabbed her before she could. His touch seemed to awaken her from her slumber, as her eyes began to flutter open again. She looked at him, and he looked at her. There is was, the kindness in her eyes again. She knew who he was. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He embraced her back, never wanting to let go. He lifted Zelda off her feet, catching a small whimper of glee from her. She pulled back slightly and began placing kisses all over his face, not wanting to miss a single inch. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her affection. But finally he pulled his face away a bit and kissed her on the lips. She strengthened her hold on him and kissed him back with pure adoration and love.

They broke apart from each other and looked at each other with the most affection they could muster. She placed her forehead against his as he lowered her back to her feet.

"I love you." She whispered to him, smiling.

"I love you, too." Link whispered back. The boy slowly lifted his head and looked over at Tomi, who was still resting on the lake's waters. "Tomi, it worked. She's back to herself." Link waited for a response…but got none. "Tomi." Link called a bit louder.

Still no response.

Link looked at Zelda, who met him with the same perplexed look. They broke their embrace as Link walked over and crouched down next to his friend. He placed his hand on Tomi's chest and shook him, trying to awaken him. Still, Tomi did not stir.

It was then that Link realized that something was wrong. As he had his hand on Tomi's chest he felt no heartbeat. Link felt a shiver of fear. Had all that talk about saying good-bye meant…no…no Tomi was fine, he was just kidding around. But when did Tomi ever kid?

Link felt a pang of panic on his heart. He started to shake him desperately, trying to wake up his friend. "Tomi! Tomi!" Link cried. No matter how many times he called his name the wizard would not open his eyes. Tears began forming in Link's eyes. He couldn't let his friend die, but he didn't know how to help him. Link grabbed Tomi's wrist, waiting for a pulse. There was none. He slapped Tomi's face with no response. He cupped his hands and dipped them into the lake's cold water, splashed it on him. Nothing worked.

The young warrior felt tears run down his face. He had not allowed himself to cry last time Tomi had died, that was because he needed to be serious for his fight with his darkness, but now there was nothing stopping him from weeping.

Zelda reached over and place her hands on Link's shoulders, trying to comfort him. She had not known Tomi as well as Link had, she didn't understand how he was feeling, but she tried her best.

Link looked up at her. "He gave his life to save you." He explained.

Zelda nodded. "I know. He told me what he was doing while he was transferring his light into my body. As he was cleansing me he apologized again for possibly harming me at the castle. He told me that I was free to live the way I wanted to."

Link's eyes widened. "You talked to him?" Zelda nodded. Link looked back down at his friend. "He was a good guy."

"He…he told me something I didn't quite understand though." Zelda said. Link looked back at her. "He told me that you and I are…the last. Last what?" Zelda cocked her head in confusion, wondering if Link could make any sense of it.

Link smiled. He understood. "The last magicians, magic users…wizards."

Link then thought of something. Slowly he moved closer to where Tomi's head was. He reached out his hand and grabbed Tomi's hood.

"What are you doing?" Zelda asked.

"Satisfying a curiosity." Link answered.

Link carefully pulled back Tomi's hood and looked down upon his face.

End of Part 11


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

Link had taken Tomi's body back to the castle, planning on cremating him and placing his ashes in a place of honor. The boy had wondered why his friend's body hadn't disappeared like his darkness, maybe he had cast a spell on his own body to allow it to stay here for Link to bury it or cremate it, or possibly since the body was light it could sustain its form in the world of light longer than its darkness could.

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A day after Zelda and Link brought the wizard's body back to the castle a ceremony was held in one of Hyrule Castle's courtyards for Tomi's burning. Not many people came, seeing as not many in Hyrule had known him.

Link, Zelda, Impa, King Harkinian, and a few servants gathered around the stone alter which Tomi's body had been laid upon. The King had asked Link if they should patch up some of the wizard's wounds or clothing, but Link refused. Tomi had lived as a warrior, best let him die as a warrior and allow him to look as he looked during his final battle. Link had placed the hood back upon Tomi's face, hiding his features once more. Link hadn't told anyone what the wizard looked like, he wanted to keep Tomi's secret among the most trustworthy people, namely, Zelda and himself.

When it was his time, Link approached the alter and spoke some words about who Tomi had been. He started from the beginning, when he and Tomi had first met and the situations that made them enemies at first, then friends later, all the way until that last moment when Tomi had sacrificed his life to save Princess Zelda. He told about how brave and loyal Tomi had been and how dedicated he was to annihilating the threat on the land of Hyrule.

It was customary to burn and bury swordsmen with their sword, but Zelda had told Link to do otherwise. "Tomi asked me to tell you that he wanted you to have his sword, so that you would remember him and the struggles you two had been through." Link accepted it. He would later hang it somewhere in his house so he would see it everyday.

When it was time to burn Tomi's body, Link was given the torch. The young man stood next to his friend's corpse and looked down at it one last time. Slowly he brought the flame in contact with the wizard's flesh and took a step back to watch. Little by little the White Wizard was burned away and darkened ashes were left behind, littering the alter.

Link stood there until the flames had calmed down to small embers. What he saw amazed him. The body had become ashes, which would be scooped into a vase and kept somewhere to honor him, but something was left behind. The pearl white robe that Tomi had always worn was lying upon the slab of stone, without a sign of burn. Link took it, and decided that he would keep it along with Tomi's sword, in Link's own place of respect.

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Winter came as it always did, summoning its cold weather which gave birth to snow and fires in fireplaces to warm every common house. Sleet covering Zora's River, white powder obscuring the various holes of animals' homes, the harsh wind spewing up cold in the faces of citizens in Hyrule, these were the signs of the weather of joy for some people, while the others had to struggle through the season, not much appreciating the dropping temperatures.

Link didn't care much for winter, but he didn't mind it either. He was taking a trip down to Lake Hylia to check up on something. He had cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier.

As Link's horse rode over the small hill that hid Lake Hylia from view, he felt it get a bit colder. When he saw the lake in full view he saw that the water had frozen over. This was normal for weather like this, but that wasn't what made Link's eyebrows furrow in wonder.

Out in the distance he saw what he had come for, Dark Tomi's sword. It was still vertically stabbed into the now solid lake, but it too was covered with ice. Link didn't see how that could be. Swords couldn't freeze over, at least not with a two inch thick coating like this one had.

Link got off the horse and ran across the thick ice toward the weapon. He was lucky to have brought his sword with him. He unsheathed it and began hacking away at the frozen shell.

Around five minutes later Link was able to grab hold of the black sword's hilt and heave it out of the ice. The sword's weight was not irregular like he had thought, but it felt odd to hold. Link knew that it might have been an overdramatic thought, but he wondered if the peculiarity had something to do with it having been wielded by a dark one. He carried the sword back to the awaiting horse on the shore. He got back on his horse and rode home, with the weapon firmly held in his right hand.

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When Link arrived back at the forest, he got off the horse and walked up the various hills and winding trails to the Lost Woods. As he entered the forbidden area he felt the familiar haunting feelings of being watched by the forest creatures, but he didn't care. He had walked through there many times and this was a perfect place for what he was doing.

Link made sure to keep track of where he was going, positive not to get lost on the way back. He finally stopped when he felt that he was deep enough in the woods. There he put down the Black Wizard's old weapon and began digging with a shovel he had grabbed at his house before going into the forest. He made sure to dig about a foot deep and long enough so that the sword could fit into it.

When he felt he had done enough, he dropped the shovel and picked up the sword again. He looked down at the weapon again, observing the revolting intestinal alikeness it had and the deep black blade. Finally he threw it into the hole and began to fill it back up to the brim. This would be the sword's burial ground.

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Link arrived at the castle a bit later, needing to bring the horse back to the stables. He got off the horse's back and gave the reins to an awaiting servant. The servant bowed to him and walked towards the stables with the horse following close behind.

Link walked up the stairs and across the drawbridge into the castle foyer. He asked a nearby servant where he could find the princess, the man directed him up to her room.

The castle had recognized Link before as the favored knight of the King, now they knew him as the Princess' boyfriend. The servants and guard found their relationship cute, but they never said anything. Impa had always been fond of Link and had no objections. King Harkinian couldn't have been happier and immediately asked Link if he was planning on marrying her someday. Link had humbly answered that he was too young to be thinking about such things, but secretly he hoped that was how his life would turn out.

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Link politely knocked on Zelda's bedroom door. He heard her moving inside. A moment later she opened the door. When she saw it was him she flung her arms around his neck. He hugged her back. He picked her up and carried her back into her room, shutting the door behind him with his foot. He set her down again as she kissed him on the cheek. They beamed at each other.

"Where did you go?" Zelda asked him.

"Oh, just…taking care of forgotten business." Link told her. He moved his hand and placed it on her warm cheek. She looked at him lovingly and kissed him.

The two young teens spent the rest of the winter's day with each other, always too distracted to look up and see the gentle fall of snow.

The End

**Dear Readers,**

**I want to thank all of you for reading my story. I had a blast writing it and I hope all of you enjoyed it. I am currently in the works of making a sequel. I am curious to know who would like to see a sequel, since there are some things that still have cliffhangers. However, I am going to take a break for a while and write some other short stories that I've been thinking of. So keep your eyes open for stories written by Indigo44. **

**I want to thank all who reviewed my story: DeadlyDragon12, adrian-update, Anime Wildfire, Wargrave, randomboy97, pinquinolatino, foolish-sage, ZeBubba, Flameshield, and especially Omega87. Thank you for reviewing, you helped me push through those moments when I felt like quitting. **

**Once again, thank you for reading. Make sure to look for more stories coming from me in the future.**

**Sincerely,**

**Indigo44**


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